Faith
by KristinMilly
Summary: I can't say too much without giving it away. But at it's heart is all about MMMT some may have heard of this story under a different title that I could not possibly publish this under
1. Break Up

AUthor's Note: I thought I might start this since _Jesse's Girl_ will be over in the next few days. Tell me what you think about it.

- Kristin

P.S. Don't worry, BTWM (if you are reading that as well) will be over by the end of the week and I'll be starting to post the last part of the AML triology. Enjoy!

* * *

"Flight 22, now boarding rows twenty six to thirty five," the clerk called out.

I grabbed my carry on and walked toward the desk. I'd been waiting three years for this flight. Three long years to be with the woman I loved more than life. And yes, I know its love because no one goes through what we have unless they truly love one another.

This story is long, and a lot of it is kind of sad. But if you keep up with it I'm sure you'll become intrigued as to how the princess and a pauper were able to fool everyone to believe that they were no longer in love.

* * *

May first. It was the biggest day of our entire lives. Well, it had always been an important day for Mia, it was her birthday after all. But then it became something incredibly different for us. But before I explain that to you, you need to get the back ground. Some of it you may know, but listen before you judge.  
  
I had been in college for three years, well, finishing up my third year actually. I had my finals the following week, but that isn't important. What is important is how I spent those three years of college. And who I spent them with.  
I started going out with Mia when I was seventeen, almost eighteen years old. She was only fourteen, almost fifteen, well, more like fourteen, but let's say almost fifteen so I don't sound like a pervert, shall we? I had loved her since _I_ had been fourteen years old. She had been eleven.  
She was entering her awkward years at that point, and yet I still fell for her. She had such huge frizzy hair, glasses, and had recently gotten braces. But I barely noticed those kinds of things. I just saw her as she was. A fun girl who liked _Star Wars_ as much as I did. I never thought of it as a crush though, I figured it would go away as I got older.

But I was wrong. It got even worse. She and I became pretty good friends when she was in junior high and I was in high school. I tried impressing her with my shirtless look; or as Lilly would say my _prancing around shirtless_. I loved how the redness arose on her cheeks; she seemed really sweet. I realized that I was in love with her when she was in the _eighth grade_; I finally got out of my stubborn bubble and accepted that I, a _junior in high school_ had a crush on a middle schooler.  
But then she became a freshman. Then everyone found out she was a princess. I knew I should have told her how I felt before that night it all came out on the news. I should have told her long before all of the make over and princess crap came out. I hadn't known of course why she had gotten the make over, I simply assumed it was to attract attention from that nimrod Josh Richter. But I was wrong.  
You have to give me credit though. I had given her subtle hints. I mean, I don't walk around half naked when she's _not_ around, right? When I didn't know she was there she saw that I wore my shirts, but took them off once I noticed her. I played that sappy love song for her. I came to her rescue when Josh turned out to be a jerk, but yet we still didn't make any moves. She never showed any interest in me other than a friend.  
She changed because her grandmother, correction, Grandmere, made her change.  
I didn't realize her feelings about anything. I just tried to focus on school and on getting into Columbia. I knew I was getting in and therefore would still be able to 'bump' into Mia on occasion.  
But then I started getting notes. At first I thought they were from her little friend Tina, but I soon found out from my little sister that it was from Mia, but her friend was writing them out and delivering them so that I wouldn't suspect it was Mia and therefore embarrass her by rejecting her. Ha, fat chance!  
But then I was humiliated. She ran out on me after I declared my love for her during the Winter Carnival before break. She blew off my phone calls. Ignored my e-mails. But in the end, she accepted me. She danced with me. She told me that she was in love with me. Basically, she made my whole entire life worth it. I mean sure, getting into Columbia early decision is a big deal, but getting the perfect girl when I was only seventeen? Not many guys find their match that early, and I was totally lucky to have her in my life.

* * *

But then, half way through her junior year we broke up for a little while. It was possibly the stupidest thing I had ever done. All my friends had convinced me that I was missing out on the whole college experience. So, this is how it went...  
We were at her loft, eating lunch. I had purposely made tension in the previous weeks so it wouldn't seem out of the blue that I was dumping her. I occasionally blew off plans with her. But she wasn't the type to say anything. She kept it inside, wrote about it in her diary, I'm sure. But she didn't say anything to me. But Lilly did in those weeks,  
"Why the hell are you acting like this? Like such a turd?"  
"Huh?" I asked, knowing that she was telling the truth.  
"Mia is worried, but she doesn't want to say anything to you. She thinks you are just going through a phase. It's _just_ a phase, right?"  
I shrugged.  
"Michael, you are an ass and do not deserve her. Why the hell are you stringing her along then?"  
That was when I decided to end it. Well, to take a _breather_ is more like it. Lilly had a point. I wasn't being fair to Mia. I owed her an explaination  
So like I was saying (before I rudely interrupted myself to explain about Lilly) , we were at her loft, eating Easy Mac. She made it because she knew I loved it so much. She was trying to make things better even though she didn't know what had gone wrong.  
This was going to be hard. "Mia, I need to tell you something."  
She looked at me with those gray eyes so I avoided all eye contact. I focused on the painting that was hanging over the sink. "Yes, Michael?"  
"I need a break," I said. Big sigh right there. Now here is where she will flip out, I'm totally sure of it. Maybe it'll snap me back into reality. Make me realize that this isn't what I wanted. Make me realized I wanted my crazy and off the wall girlfriend.  
But she didn't flip out. "Maybe you are right," she said, surprising me.  
"I know it's hard but I think- wait, what?"  
"I mean, it _is_ kind of strange meeting the one you are supposed to be with so young. If we are, that is, and I'm not saying we are. But if we are, we'll get back together eventually." I could see through her tough exterior though.  
"Mia, are you sure?"  
She nodded "Are you?"

I shrugged. This was not turning out like I planned.

"Michael, I'm not as dumb as I look. I can see that you want to go out with other people." She was wrong there though, I didn't. "And go out with your friends. I'm holding you back. Go out with your friends. I'll go out with my friends. If we're meant to be, then we'll get back together eventually."  
I stared at her in amazement. She had changed so much since when we had first started dating. She would have been panicking right now. I mean, in the first few weeks we were dating (well, while she was in Genovia after we admitted we loved one another and we started calling ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend) she thought I was going to break up with her. She started to freak out then. Why isn't she now? I mean, she's invested the majority of her high school career to this relationship.

I had assumed that I would have to console her even though I hadn't the heart to see her crying. I was kind of hoping she'd cry not make it to be so damn easy for me to walk away. She was making it too easy for me to leave and never come back.  
"I, um, well, I'm gonna go to my room. I'll...I guess I'll see you when you get back to Lilly's house," she stammered. I could tell her floodgates were ready to collapse.

To Lilly's house. It wasn't mine anymore. It was just her best friend's house now. Not her boyfriend's house. No. It was the asshole who just made the biggest mistake of his life's house.


	2. Mistake

I didn't go home that night though. I walked around the city, all alone in my misery. _Was she crying right now? Was she talking to Lilly about all this? What would Lilly say to me?_ I didn't care anymore. If I didn't care it would be easier. I had to just be a regular guy for a while.  
But one thought plagued me.  
It had been hard getting her in the first place. Back when she was a shy awkward newly named princess. How was I going to deal with seeing her with other guys? Having some other guy taking her to her junior prom? Seeing the pictures in the papers. Seeing her at my parents apartment before the aforementioned prom.  
_ Would she be making out with some other guy? Would I still care?  
_ That second question was stupid. I did still care. I already missed her and it hadn't been even three hours since I broke up with her. I found myself outside of her building that night. Her bedroom light was on, so I climbed up her fire escape, with no real plan in my head.  
I didn't go in her window though. I sat there. Listened to her talking on the Lilly and her mom. Miss Thermopolis was holding her. She wasn't crying though. "He needs to grow up," her mom said.  
"He's a stupid guy, you don't need him," Lilly piped up. "I know he's my brother and I should be taking his side in this...but you are like my sister, Mia. Remember that, okay?"  
"I-I don't know what I am going to do," I heard her say softly.  
"I do," her mom said. "You are going to start focusing on yourself, not some silly boy. Lilly, you are NOT to give her any reports about Michael, got that? I don't want the name even thought of in this house."  
"No problem. I never liked talking about him anyways."  
Her mom left.  
"Mia, just think about it. We will get to hang out so much more often now. We are going to be seniors in a few months. We have our junior prom-"  
"Oh God, what am I going to do about that?" she said in a voice that I had always loved. It was when she was worried about something, but she also knew that she could overcome it.

I couldn't listen anymore. Lilly started throwing out names of guys that liked Mia, or that would at least go to prom with her. I didn't want to hear any names because then I'd have a picture in my mind of her dancing with the guy.

* * *

I decided to not think about her anymore. I avoided all celebrity magazines. Filled my life with school work and worked on my resume. Any other time was filled in with my new band. I did everything to avoid her name.  
I never went home on weekends. Not even over spring break. I went to Mexico with some buddies from school and basically lost a week of my life to alcohol. 

I wish I could say that the alcohol was because I was enjoying myself, like every other person was, but it wasn't. I kept thinking about her. Every time I saw a leggy blonde I thought it was her. I tried talking to other girls, but I always ended up bringing her into the conversation.Then the girls felt bad for me...one offered to make me feel much better in her hotel room but I declined. I couldn't do that to Mia. Even if we were broken up I was not going to use our story to get action from a strange girl from Louisiana.

I managed not to mention her to the girls that were staying next door to us...for about _five minutes_.  
It was the first night of the trip and we were in our hotel room. A group of girls from the room next door were over, watching television and drinking. We guys were playing cards, Asshole to be exact. "I wish_ I_ could have had any choice for my prom dress," one of the girls said with a deep sigh. I looked over at what they were watching. E! Entertainment television. A brief story about Princess Amelia's quest for the perfect dress.  
"I know her," I said. "Or I used to." That's an understatement. I had held that hand that she was waving. I had kissed her hundreds if not thousands of times. "That guy in the back ground of that picture? Yeah, that would be me."  
They all looked at me. Then the blurry image of me standing behind Mia at a charity ball.

"How do you know a princess? Are you a prince?"  
I shook my head. My friends grunted. They had thought I had gotten over her.  
"No, she's my girl- my ex girlfriend."  
"Are you _stupid_?" one of them said to me.  
I didn't answer. They were simply asking if I was stupid enough to break up with a princess.

They didn't know the real Mia. The Mia who wears Amidala underwear for luck. The Mia who furrows her brow when she confused. THe Mia who almost failed algebra even with my help, but aced geometry while I was in college. They didn't know the Mia that dropped an eggplant from a New York highrise. The Mia who wore combat boots. The Mia who saved my senior prom and convinced me that I should go. The Mia who wears cat pajamas and fluffy slippers. The Mia whose hair frizzed out in the rain. The Mia who-

"Yes," I mumbled before I took a shot.

* * *

When I came back from break I fully accepted that I made the worst mistake of my life. And I _had_ to fix this mistake. I was sure that no one was going to let me near her, ever. But I still started thinking of how to get her back. 

I had broken her heart, or so I thought. I looked at the gossip column for the first time in months and saw a picture of her with a young actor at a Yankee's pre-season game in Florida. She'd always had a crush on the guy, Elias Downey. I always had a secret hatred for the man because he was her fantasy guy and everything I was not. He was successful. _Rich_. _Powerful_. Her grandmother's dream guy for her.  
I couldn't compete with this tool. He was the kind of guy that would wear sunglasses indoors, a total loser. At least I had once thought he was a loser, but it turns out I am instead. He had the girl, and all I had was a faltering GPA.  
I stopped hanging out with the spring break crew after we got back. I focused on school (unsuccessfully), and my band. This group of guys were different from the ones I was in a band with in high school. They played harder music. I wrote harder lyrics. But at the same time we accepted that if we wanted gigs right away we'd have to go with what was popular at the time. I know, not being true to ourselves but we are slaves to money. _Damn capitalism_.  
I went home for the first time in April. I hadn't been in there since Mia and I had broken up. Apparently she thought it was safe to return as well because the minute I walked in I could smell her vanilla scent. She had always worn it because I had mentioned once when I was like, sixteen, that I loved the smell of vanilla. She wore it ever since that day.  
I quietly shut the front door. I didn't want them to know I was around. I walked past Lilly's room unnoticed. I stopped though once I was past her door.  
"So he's REALLY coming to our prom?" Lilly said excitedly to Mia. "I cannot believe a movie star is going to _our_ stupid, meaningless prom. I mean, he could be at some Hollywood premier and he's coming to this instead! Mia, I cannot believe your luck!"  
I looked through the crack in the door. Mia was sitting at Lilly's vanity, staring into the mirror. She wasn't smiling as I had expected her to be. She looked almost...I don't know, sad maybe. "Yeah, I'm really lucky."  
I walked into my room quietly. I grabbed my music and left, just as quiet as before. I could have sworn I heard Mia ask if Lilly had heard a door shut. I ran as quickly as I could away from there.  
I started to plan.  
**Operation: Dump the Stupid Jerky Celebrity You are with For Your Ex-Boyfriend.  
** I put phase one in that night.  
I returned to my parent's apartment and heated up some Easy Mac. It was pretty late at night and I knew that Lilly would be passed out. Mia stayed up late though, writing. I knew that. And I also knew she got hungry around two in the morning. I made two bowls and left one out for her. She came into the kitchen nervously.  
"Oh, didn't know..." she stammered, backing away.  
"I made you a bowl," I replied. Great, the first words I utter to her after four months, _'I made you a bowl'_  
She sat down, avoiding my gaze. "How'd you know I'd be here?"  
"It's Saturday. I read that _Wonderboy_ is shooting in...what, Canada? So where else would you be?" I hoped I didn't sound like an asshole.  
I handed her a fork.  
"Thanks," she said softly, still not looking at me.  
"So how's things been?" I asked nervously. What if she said great, as I was expecting her to?  
She didn't answer. She just sighed, "What do you think?"  
I just stared at her.  
"So," she said, a few minutes later, "How's school? The _friends_?" She said friends like it was poison. She had never liked my friends. I guess now she had even more of a reason to hate those guys. It was kind of obvious that I had ended things because of them.  
"You mean Parker, Ben and Jimmy?"  
"Those would be your friends..."  
"No they aren't. I talk to them every once in awhile, but not much. I don't hang out with them much. Mostly with some new guys I met."  
Silence.  
"Any new _girls_?" she asked, worried about the answer.  
We finally caught one another's eyes. "No. No one else."  
A look of guilt crossed her face. "Like I said, I never wanted anyone else," I said, taking her hand.  
She pulled away. "Well, that's too bad. I-I'm gonna go to bed. Thanks for the food."  
I could see this would take a lot of work.  
  
And so the notes began. It took a hell of a lot of begging but I got Lilly to plant them in Mia's locker. I also had to promise to do her laundry over the summer (but I'm not touching her delicates, and she understood).  
The first one was a card of a little boy and girl holding hands. It was all that Hallmark had for me. I made my friend George write it out for me. He was high a lot of the time so he didn't really notice what I was saying. But he had damn nice handwriting. Even when high as a kite.  
I stayed home, pretending to be sick that weekend so I could see a reaction from her, which I knew I was bound to. I sat in the living room eating my soup and listened to her and Lilly in the kitchen.  
"Isn't it weird?" she asked after she showed Lilly the card.  
While she re-read the words, Lilly shot me a sideward glance. I guess she thought my words were impressive. "The guy must really like you. Or maybe even _love_ you."  
"Or is stalking me," Mia said, deflated. "Elias warned me about this kind of thing. He said that girls are _so_ obsessed with him that they'd do anything to get me to dump him. I guess this is just a trick."  
So my next card explained that there was no trick involved. This time I left a yellow rose in the locker.  
She started coming over more and more often. Or maybe I just thought it was more often because _I_ was coming over more often. She'd be able to guess it was me.

I told my parents I wanted to be home so I could study. That the dorms were a little too loud for me to do so. They knew I hardly ever studied, never really needed to really. They knew I was there for the blond girl that came over every night after princess lessons.

"She just started coming over again," Mom said as we washed some dishes.

"Oh?"

"We really missed her after...well, you know. I'm sure you two are on the road to friendship now, right?"

I shook my head, "I dunno. We haven't really talked."

She motioned toward the door and then left. I turned and saw Mia walk in. I walked to the fridge and grabbing some mustard.  
"I hear you are getting love notes?" I asked, tossing a bottle of mustard at her. She and I liked to put mustard on our potato chips, or rather dip it in the mustard.  
She smiled slightly, "How'd _you_ know?"  
"Lilly," I replied, covering up my own smile with my chip.  
"Oh, of course," she said, looking a bit sad. "Well, I haven't told Elias about them."  
"I'm sure Mr. Wonderful has things he doesn't tell you. Does he tell you about every admirer he has? I don't think so."  
She nodded. "That's true. So I shouldn't feel guilty?"  
"No way honey- I mean, no."  
Silence.  
"So, how serious are you guys?"  
She shrugged, "I don't know. He really _seems_ to like me..." she trailed off.

For some reason I felt really good then. I mean, we had broken up four months ago, but she felt comfortable talking to me. I had broken her heart and she was still talking to me.  
"But?" I cut in.  
"But, I-"  
"Mia, you ready to go shopping?" Lilly asked, swinging her purse as she entered the kitchen.  
Mia glanced at me, "We're going to get Lilly a prom dress," she said, almost apologetically.  
"What about you?" I asked curiously.  
"Grandmere helped me pick one out already."  
_ Oh. Perfect. Not only does she help pick out prom dresses, she also picks out Mia's dates.

* * *

_ "We got a gig, kind of last minute. Can you be here on Friday night?" Paul asked, handing me a card.  
"What is it?"  
"I don't know. Marty set it up."  
Marty Ring was our drummer. "Oh, okay no problem." Yeah, like I'd have anything to do on a Friday night.  
"Dress up though. That's what I was told."  
"Okay."  
  
That Friday night I went back home to get my suit from my closet. I had forgotten it was the girls' prom night. All of Lilly's friends were over, doing one another's make up and what not. I wasn't interested in how they looked though, only Mia. I didn't hear her in the room but I peeked my head in anyways, just to double check.  
"Hey Ladies," I greeted.  
They all stared at me. "Hi Michael," they greeted. Giggles follow.  
"You all look..." I started, then Mia. She tapped me on the shoulder so she could get by. I turned and looked at her. I had to back up so I could take her all in.  
Her dress was aqua, lots of beads on it. She had her hair half up and half down, make up professionally done. Her nails had just been done. I could still smell the stuff that kept her acrylics on her real nails. I loved when she got those tips on, they felt nice running through my hair.  
"Michael, let Mia in my room!" Lilly snapped.  
I got out of her way and mumbled some compliment. I tried to get out of there as quickly as possible, but my parents cut me off before I could get out. They asked me about my plans for the evening and why I needed my suit. They thought I had a hot date and thought it was healthy for me to be moving on finally.  
As I opened the front door I saw Mia poke her head out of Lilly's room, I looked back at her and smiled. She smiled back. I should be the one taking her to this damn prom, not that massive tool.


	3. Together

Author's Note: Everything is worded very carefully. And **yes**, they are going to be tricking people into believing they are no longer together, but you won't see that for a little while. Remember, this is going to be a looooong story. It covers a four year span.

And if you think she seems depressed think about it. You just get your heart broken by the guy you had been dating for two years. Wouldn't you feel kind of down? And to have the constant reminder of him because you are best friends with his sister? Also, Mia is going to seem different because she is older than she is in Ms. Cabot's books.

**Eerkith**- Drinking is cliche I agree. But remember, he is in college now. He isn't the Michael we all know and love from the books. He is trying to make new friends. Sad huh? Yeah, don't worry, even HE admits that it's sad.

* * *

I took a cab to where Paul had told me to go. I was at the Plaza Hotel. _Great, remind me of Mia a little bit more._ I saw a bunch of limousine's showing up, that's normal though in the city. I walked in with my suit in it's bag still with a sinking suspcion(sp?) . I got changed in the bathroom. I saw Paul and George hanging out outside of the room. Paul was throwing corn nuts at George who barely even noticed. He was too busy staring at the beauty that was his hands. 

I looked up and stared at the ball room. The newly named _Clarisse Renaldo_ _Ball Room_. I was supposed to have gone to the dedication, but after the breakup I was obviously dis invited. I had gone to a bunch of events in this very room with Mia. I sighed,_ forget her_. _She is on a date with some other guy. A guy she drooled after since she was eleven.  
_"So, what exactly are we playing for?" I asked suspiciously. I saw a bunch of kids coming in with boutonnières and corsages. I had a sinking feeling.  
"The Albert Einstein High School Junior Prom," George replied, strumming on his air guitar. "The other band cancelled. Some chick suggested us."  
_Lilly. That evil wench_. She had been in charge of the music for the dance. I bet she fired the other band. No one else knew _this_ band but her.

"Awesome," I replied. I thought of something right then. "Guys, remember that song I played when I auditioned for the band?"  
  
They (that is, Lilly and Mia's group) didn't show up until a half an hour after we started playing. I was singing some stupid pop song that was a big hit around then. Lilly poked her with her elbow and she looked up in amazement. I pretended not to notice them. I closed my eyes and kept playing.  
Throughout the dinner part I saw that Elias was on his cell phone. I could hear him yelling at the other person.  
We had a short break so I went to the bar and got some water. My throat was feeling scratchy. Okay, so _what_ if Mia was near the bar talking to some other friends?  
I stood at the bar and waited for her to finish up the conversation so I could approach her. I refilled my cup twice before she finally turned so she could go back to her table. "Oh, Michael," she said, surprised. "Y-You sound really good up there-"  
"Did you want a drink?"

She nodded, "D-"

"Excuse me, can this young lady have a diet Coke with a lime?" I asked the bartender.

She smiled, "You got it right."

I ignored that comment, "You look amazing," I said, "Even better than my prom."  
She blushed and turned away so I wouldn't see what I had made her do. I had always talked about that dress she had worn. I had never seen one like it before.  
"Thanks."  
"The color looks nice on you, always has."  
She looked uncomfortable.  
"Who has _Mr. Wonderful_ been talking to?"  
She laughed, "His agent," she replied, looking back at him. Girls were staring at him from across the room. I noticed that Lana was pushing her new boyfriend aside so Elias would notice her.  
"Oh?" I realized then that she never stood up for him when I sarcastically called him _Mr. Wonderful.  
_"Yeah. There's this movie he wants to do this summer, something with _elves_ in a ring or something. I don't know, it's a big deal-"  
"They are doing the _Lord of the Rings_ movies?" I asked, shocked.  
She looked confused, "Yeah, I think that's what it is…."  
"That's awesome! Well, I mean, I hope they don't destroy the story. You know, like, take _major _characters out and try to make the audience love the new guys. I hate when they do that."  
She smiled and rolled her eyes. "You are _such_ a nerd, Michael," she teasedhitting me playfully on the shoulder.  
I brushed an eyelash off of her cheek. Okay, I saw that in a movie once and the guy got the girl so I pretended there was an eyelash there. Can't blame me. I was being nice, and got to touch her a little.  
"Oh, thanks," she said.  
I leaned in and kissed her cheek, "He better get off his _damn_ phone and dance with you," I whispered.  
"I hope he will," she said, looking back at him. I noticed how red she turned after I kissed her cheek. She MUST still have feelings for me.  
_He looked like a moron, wearing glasses indoors.  
_I went back up to the stage and we started playing the dance songs. I noticed that she was only dancing with the girls and their dates in a big group. _Boy Wonder_ was still at the table arguing with the phone.  
A slow song came up and she looked lost. All of her friends paired off and Elias never made a move to her. She stared at the ground and walked off the dance floor. I watched as she sat down next to her date. He barely noticed her. She tried touching his arm to get his attention but he gave her a dirty look and walked away, leaving her all alone.  
She _hates_ being alone like this. I almost stopped playing the song and played a fast one to help her avoid being alone at her prom.  
He came somewhat near the stage, but away from the speakers so he could be away from her pestering him.  
"No, yeah she just doesn't get it. I'm not into the whole dance shit. Besides this publicity is getting old…did you send those flowers to Meg? Okay, good… so anyways…"  
I couldn't help it. I started swaying my hips and 'accidentally' hit him in the nose with my guitar. Oh well, too bad.  
After that song I leaned into Paul and told him what I wanted to play next.  
No one recognized the song, most seemed almost relieved for something new. Lilly recognized it though. She had heard me sing it to Mia hundreds of times. She smiled at me. Mia didn't seem to pay attention to the song though. She looked around the room for her date. She didn't know that he was in the bathroom nursing a bloody, possibly broken nose.  
She finally caught the tune and looked up at me, center stage, staring at her. She started walking through the crowds of couples on the dance floor, ignoring the dirty looks she was given. I stopped playing my instrument and let the other guys take over. Paul smiled a little and took over my singing part.  
She pulled me off stage and onto a balcony. "Michael…"  
"Yes?" replied, pulling her closer to me. My hands were securely on her hips at this point.  
"Kiss me," she whispered.  
"With pleasure," I answered with a smile.

* * *

So that is how we got together, broke up, and then got back together again. She humiliated Elias that night. Rumor going around is that she found out he was cheating on her, so she punched him in the nose.  
His perfect nose. He didn't get that part he wanted either, Frodo. Ha, Elijah Wood would be better anyways… I bet _he_ didn't wear sunglasses indoors.  
  
I took Mia home that night. It was like the gods were raining on us because it was a perfectly clear evening. Not a cloud in sight. She didn't want to take the limousine like the other kids, so we walked, but not to her loft. We went to my dorm. There was a party over at one of the fraternities that I had friends in, so we headed over there.  
She changed, of course. Her grandmother had an outfit made for her for the post prom parties. She had assumed that maybe, just maybe, Elias would wisk Mia off to Los Angeles where he would certainly know how to party.  
But I didn't want to party. _She_ didn't want to party. We had just gotten back together. I mean, there were things we had to talk about, we are famous for our long drawn out discussions, but at that time we just wanted…well, to hold on to one another for dear life.  
And we did. I kept my hand on her hip as much as possible. I had a drink in one hand, on of the few non alcoholic ones available. I didn't want to be drunk tonight, I wanted to savor every moment  
She felt so wonderful…so close to me. I took in her vanilla smell and realized there must be a God if she is here with me at this moment. People thought we were strange because we just kept looking at one another. I kept looking because I was having a hard time believing she was sitting right there next to me.  
She looked at me after we'd been at a party for an hour or two, "Michael, I have to be back at your parents eventually, you know…"  
So we got onto the subway, and acted in a very un princess like way (I have definately gotten over my fear of PDA). We kissed a little on the subway, which gave way to a make out session back at the apartment. I had missed her lips so much, I hadn't appreciated what they were capable of when we had been together before. I would now though. Very muchly I would.  
She didn't go into Lilly's room though. I thought she would after our small make out session in the hall, so I went into my old room to crash. She followed me. "What are you doing?" I asked, hopefully.  
She laughed, "I'm not _seducing_ you, so don't get too far ahead of yourself buster."  
I could feel my cheeks redden. "Oh?"  
She stared at my bed. "I'm just not ready for the night to be over yet…"  
I pulled back my sheets and invited her to lay down with me. "We should probably talk a little before people start asking us questions."  
She obliged, but only after I offered a pair of my boxers and a t-shirt to wear to bed. The ones she always wore. The ones with sailboats on them. And the shirt was hers, but she left it with me. I just never bothered to return it after the breakup. It had been my souvenier (A/N: totally wrong spelling but please don't go on about it in reviews. I admit that I suck at spelling )

My heart was absolutely racing. I perversely watched her change into the clothes. I had seen her body before, but not when it was entirely nude. It wasn't something she was ever comfortable with. I certainly had never seen her bottom half, so I was curious. I sat on the foot of my bed and had a goofy smile on.  
She saw me and mischeviously smiled, "Like what you are seeing?"  
I nodded with a goofy grin. She slid my boxers on, and jumped onto my bed.

"So?" she asked.  
I licked my lips and kissed her, "We should really talk before we do anything…"  
"We _aren't_ going to have sex," she reminded me.  
"I know. But I also want you to know that the moment I broke up with you started the absolute worst four months of my entire life." I'm not going to lie. I kind of hoped we would like couples do in movies when they suddenly realize they are desperate for one another. But talking is good. As long as we don't fool around to the point of no return.  
She pulled off my undershirt. She knew I hated sleeping with a shirt on. I shimmied out of my pants and simply had my pink flamingo boxers on me.

"It has been horrible," she agreed.  
"No, just listen. This whole stupid thing is _my_ damn fault. I want to explain why I did what I did, okay?"  
She nodded. "I'm not arguing that it was your fault."  
"Well, you were right, it was my friends suggestion that I break it off with you. They have been for a while, even last year. But I ignored them last year. This year, when I started getting closer to them I wanted them to accept me so I basically did what they did, within reason. But what I did to you definitely was NOT within reason. It was the _stupidest_ thing I had ever done. And the way I hurt you, leading up to the end, I could kill myself. I knew even before I broke up with you that it was a mistake…that I was supposed to be with you. Mia, you are the only one I want. The only one I need. You know how many times I wanted to pick up my phone just to call you?"

She shook her head, "Probably as many times as I wanted to call you. I didn't want to look…_desperate_ though."  
"Like, I found myself watching _Lifetime_ movies all night long. When there was this one true story one, about a woman being charged with murdering her lover's wife, I wanted to call you and have you come over and cuddle with me, like we used to…" with that she snuggled closer to me. " Because you always say that the true stories are better…" I said fading out. Finally, "It was so hard seeing you with Elias…."  
She kissed my bare chest. "I was never _with _him really. We were just kind of…wasting time between our real loves of our lives. He has some girl named Meg or something. He just told me about her recently. I never trusted him…you can't trust a man who wears _sunglasses_ indoors."  
I laughed, we thought alike.  
"Mia, I never was…you know, like this with anyone else…"  
She stared up to my eyes, "I never did anything with Elias. He wanted to but…I knew I would get back together with you so…"  
I didn't let her finish her statement. I started kissing her instead. She tasted so….lovely (am I becoming a woman by saying lovely?). Her skin was so soft, like velvet. I was happy to know that no one else had touched her like this other than me. No stupid _sunglass toting movie star_ had gotten his hands on my girl. On my Mia.  
About an hour later, an hour filled with kisses and soft laughter later, she reluctantly got up and went to my sisters room. Lilly was going to be pissed to see Mia in my clothes, but I didn't care._ I got to have my Mia._


	4. 4

Author's Note: Tsk Tsk, some of you don't read the hints of the longevity of this story.

ClassicDorkette: I have no clue as to how long this is going to be. I haven't re-read it in awhile because...um, I'm lazy? No, it's pretty long. The major plot isn't even here yet. Major characters aren't here. So it'll be awhile yet.

JenJen-Jenufer: That is what I was thinking of! I wrote the " I gotta have my Mia" line and was like..._Hmmm, that sounds wicked familar_. So I wracked my brain for about a day trying to remember it so I could use it in the chapter but got frustrated.

Erkith: I don't think my spelling is too horried (heh) that I need a beta, but thanks. Usually I upload chapters, then I add in. Any spelling mistakes are made then because I once again, am too lazy to look them up. I think things look pretty much like they are supposed to. Actually, I'm not too lazy to look things up, I'm usually too tired to do it. I start preparing to post wide awake, then I get too exhausted to do much work to the chapter. I'm gonna stop blabbering now though.

Everyone else, Thanks for reviewing. Y'all rock. (that was a southern girl moment...but I'm not southern, just a fan of accents). Keep up the reviews

* * *

Lilly and Mia's friends were the only loved ones from her side that were happy for us, but even _they_ were skeptical. Her mother could deal with _seeing_ me, but I knew I could win her over as well. Her dad and grandmere were a different story, however.  
  
Her mother didn't like me very much because I had put Mia through so much. I wouldn't expect her to welcome me back with open arms. Although, I do think she would prefer Mia to date me than to date some movie star. She trusted me. But still, I had broken her only daughter's heart.

She still let me come over though, and allowed me to call Mia anytime I wanted to call. It was weird going back there because there was the feeling in the air that I didn't belong there anymore. All of the things I had always kept there (a few shirts, a sweatshirt, some CD's) were gone. The picture of me and Mia from the winter dance that only months ago had a home on the shelf in the den was gone. All images of me were wiped out.

I assume that Lilly had Mia perform a ritual clensing in order to get over me. Actually, I know she did. She told me that she had pretended to burn all my stuff. She had _wanted_ to actually destroy them, but Miss Thermopolis didn't let her.

I'm getting off track here. So, like I was saying, it was weird being around Miss Thermopolis She wouldn't offer her famous cookies to me anymore. But she was at least civil to me.  
A few weeks after the prom I went over to Mia's for her little gathering to celebrate the end of the year. Miss Thermopolis simply opened the door for me and walked away, not saying a word to me.  
I didn't attract much attention at this party, just kind of stayed in the background and listened in on conversations. It had been easier to socialize with these people back before I had broken up with Mia. They all seemed to be nice, _on the surface_. But I overheard Ling-Su and Tina talking when they didn't realize I was the guy who's back was to them.  
"I don't know. I don't think she'll stay with him. I mean, she could do sooo much better. Did you hear that James Coyne asked her out last week?"

"Yeah, she mentioned it at lunch. I really don't understand. He offered tickets to a _Broadway play_ for crying out loud!"

"I don't get why she took him back in the first place."  
"I don't either. I mean, sure he's hot and everything...Maybe it's because he's good at you know...._that_ stuff. But he's _so_ immature now. She was telling me about how he was drinking and getting high now."  
_That_ was a lie, right there. I did not get high, and infrequently got drunk. Mia wouldn't tell them about that kind of stuff anyways.She thought it was immature to discuss how drunk people got. The other thing, that I was good at the _other stuff_ was true if I do say so myself.  
Mia overheard this exchange as well, and looked at me. She saw that I was a little hurt by what I had heard, so she walked up to them, "Hey, if you guys have a problem with my boyfriend why don't you _tell_ me instead of gossiping about it? I thought we were friends?"  
They apologized, but they weren't sincere. They were only sorry they had been caught.  
"Well, don't _bother_ apologizing to me. I love _hi_m and he loves _me_. We are going to be together whether you two like it or not. I have _enough_ pressure from my family about this relationship so I don't need it from my best friends."  
She walked over to me then and took my hand. We went into the closet; the one where my sister had made out with that foreign kid, Jangbu, all those years ago. She turned the ceiling light on, "Don't worry about them. You know that I would never listen to anyone who says we won't last, right?"  
I nodded and kissed her forehead. "Of course baby...of course."  
She hugged me, so hard like she was afraid of losing me. "I don't think I could bear losing you again..."

* * *

But her grandmother kept her busy all the time. She went to Genovia for that summer. They figured she would forget about me if she wasn't going to see me. Or that I would find someone else; proving that they were right about the kind of guy I was.  
But they weren't right. I was the faithful boyfriend who gave my girlfriend a webcam for her birthday so that we could have late night chats while she was in the palace. I didn't even go out all that much because I was too afraid of missing a call from her. I went out, sure, but only to hang out with my band and to play with them.  
"You are pathetic," Lilly deemed me one evening in late July.  
"What do you mean?" I asked, checking my e-mail for the hundredth time that day. She e-mailed me and said to meet online at midnight, my time. All I can say is thank God that her grandmother finally relented and got the internet in the palace.  
"I _mean_," she said teasingly, "That you and Mia are the stereotypical high school sweethearts."  
I smiled. "So?"  
"And I'm happy for you. _I_ might be the only one...well, actually, Miss Thermopolis is starting to like you again. Don't get _too_ crazy about that though because her dad and grandmother still hate your stinking guts. You are not going to win them over."  
Who cared though? I mean, by this time next year she'd be eighteen, a legal adult. We could even possibly get an apartment together, as long as we didn't waste our pooled money. It'd be perfect.

* * *

I started my internship in mid July. It was good to have something to distract me from thinking about how much I missed Mia.  
I was having fun though. Learning what it was like to work in a _real_ working environment and meeting people was a great time. They even asked me if I would want to come back the next summer, after I complete my final year. I'm no dummy, I accepted their offer. Good jobs were scarce these days.  
I was walking out of my building one evening, that is, my _work_ building not apartment. It was the hottest day of the entire summer so I loosened up my tie and undid the top buttons of my shirt.  
"Do you _normally_ do strip shows, or is it just for me?" a voice asked from a bench that I walked past.  
I looked back and saw the most wonderful sight from the entire summer, _Mia_. My face exploded into a smile, "When did you get here?" I asked, quickly walking back to my girlfriend.  
"Last night..."  
"Explains why there was no web cam action..." I teased. She stood up and I pulled her to me tightly.  
"Well, got plans for the night?" she asked, our noses touching.  
"Nothing could pull me away from you," I replied, leaning for a kiss.  
She kindly obliged.  
"_PRINCESS_!" someone screamed, we turned and saw some cameras.  
"Comes with the territory," she said with a sigh, pulling away from me. We started to walk back to the subway and back to my apartment.  
  
We ordered from a new vegetarian place not far my apartment. "You like?" I asked.  
"So yummy," she agreed.  
Her cell phone rang a half a dozen times before she shut it off. "The caller ID said it was Grandmere. I am sooooo mad at her right now," she explained.  
"Why is that?" I asked, feeding her some of my tofu. I had gotten a taste for vegetarian food while we were broken up. Not that it was abnormal for her to be mad at her grandmother, but I wanted to know the newest reason.  
She rolled her eyes, "She had a contest back in Genovia, _'Win a Date With a Princess!_'"  
I nearly choked on my food. "Beg pardon?"  
"Exactly. She thought if I had a date with a Genovian I would get over you. But I'll always be _under_ you," she promised, leaning in for a kiss. 

Before I could say something completely perverted,  
"Mia! When'd you get back?!" Lilly exclaimed, interrupting our living room picnic.  
"Last night," Mia said with a smile.  
"You can see him any old time, come into my room," Lilly said, grabbing Mia's hand.  
"Lil, we're in the middle of a date..."  
Lilly rolled her eyes, "Fine. But I want details...about you know Genovia, not my brother."

* * *

Her senior year. Well, that was probably the longest nine months of my life, up until now that is. But you'll hear about that later.

She would be turning eighteen at the end of the year, and I was counting the days. You know how some guys did a website for Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen? A countdown one that had down to the second that they turned eighteen? I kind of kept one like that, well....not a website, and not to the second. I'm not that big of a psycho. I marked it on my calculator.

Not that I was expecting to do anything with her because she's kind of nixed the idea of premarital sex.

The school changed the uniforms. "Damn, why couldn't they have these when I went to school with you?" I teased. Instead of the pleated skirts, it was more of a wrap type of skirt. "You could totally do a 'Baby One More Time' thing down the halls of Albert Einstein High School in this."

"They are disgusting. I _refuse _to wear this. I am going to wear my old skirt," Lilly said, interrupting my conversation with Mia. Me and Mia were sitting in my kitchen while Lilly paced the length of the kitchen

"I think they are kind of cute," Mia replied.

"You would. You've become a _slave _to the fashion industry."

"Shut up Lill. I happen to think that Mia looks adorable in her uniform," I replied.

"You just like _anything_ that shows her legs off," Lilly countered.

I smiled and put my hand on top of Mia's thigh, "Why shouldn't I like that? She has nice legs."

Lilly rolled her eyes, "We have to go to school now. Before you start molesting her legs," she said pulling Mia out of the chair.

"I'll be by tonight, okay?" Mia asked as Lilly pulled her out of the room.

"Wouldn't be Friday night without you," I replied with a wink.

* * *

"Michael, no. We are stopping," she said with a giggle, one Friday night in November. We were in my dorm room. Friday nights were our private nights in my dorm. She always had to go home at midnight, but I always snuck into her room at the loft anyways.

"Ugh, Mia. I love _you_. You love _me_..."

"So we can wait it out."

"You and I both know that your grandmother and your father are NOT going to let you marry me."

We laid in my bed, just staring at one another. "Michael, _I_ am the one who will decide who I am going to marry. Not my dad. Not my grandmother. Not Parliament. I've looked into it."

I laughed, "Oh?"

"Once I turn _twenty one_ they have no real say over what I do. It's an old law that no one really thinks about anymore. But I know Grandmere will bring it up if you and I were to go off and get married right now... If we can hold off until then... you know, when I'm twenty one..."

"Mia, that is another four years away." I ignored the fact that she brought up getting married right now. That was a bit too much for my hormonal mind (hell, I was at the point where I would drag her to the nearest JP and get married, but again, I digress...)

"So? You won't wait for me?"

She looked terrified. "Mia, I'd wait a million years if you asked me to. And you know I would. I just don't want to be _banned_ from Genovia."

She smiled, "You won't be. Besides, I'm going to rule one day. I get say in who is banned from the country."

I kissed her nose. I had finally settled down enough to be close to her again. "I love you Mia Thermopolis."

"And I you, H-"

"Do _not_ use my real name," I warned.

"Why not? It's so..._manly_," she giggled.

"I am called Michael for a reason little Lady."

"I don't care what you are called. I love you all the same."

And then we proceeded to make out. I could live with that for another few years.

But little did I know I would only be waiting until May.


	5. Bonding With a Prince and A Senior Prom

**Author's Note: Okay Lucie, here is your update....**

** There is a reason none of you know Michael's name. Only three people in the entire world know it...at least his real name in my universe. One knows it because I needed help finding one obscure one. You will all find out when you need to, that is, IF you ever need to.**

** Gatorchick007: I hope your first day of school was good. Don't stress.**

** HGill: Would my universe Michael cheat?**

** AHHH: Of course I am updating this story. You should go do the same over in Mediator.**

** Trouble....: You are welcome. **

** Choo-Choo: I do know how people would treat him. My ex boyfriend broke up with me twice and I took him back (moronically) twice. My family still hates him. He never confessed his undying love to my family. I do not like this boy and I dumped him. That was fun.**

* * *

Months went by quickly. Her father started almost to like me again. He even invited me out for a drink when I turned twenty one in January. I mean, _sure_ I had drunk when I was underage, but it's a big deal to have your first legal drink.

"You know how my mother feels, right?" he said as we sat at the bar.

I nodded quietly. This was really awkward...sitting in a bar with my girlfriend's father. But then talking about the status of my relationship with said girlfriend with said father is about ten times weirder.

"She thinks you two will be over once Mia graduates. What do you think?"

I stared at him point blank in the eyes. "Sir, with all due respect, I love your daughter. No one is going to make me _stop_ loving her. People have in the past and they've failed. I couldn't live without her and I don't ever want to try to."

That seemed to agree with him. He clunked his bottle with mine and smiled. "I can see where you were coming from...the pressure and everything. Everyone had expected me to marry Helen, Mia's mother. That's when I kind of started feeling...suffocated. It wasn't her fault, I don't blame her at all. She didn't want to marry me either. She wasn't interested in the whole royalty thing. I...as much as it hurt to see Mia hurting I can see where you were coming from.

"The Thermopolis women are...there's something about them, huh?" he asked me.

I smiled slightly, "No kidding. She's...she's just amazing."

Then we continued on talking about my band and school and my plans after graduation. Everything was eerily normal.

* * *

Her senior prom. It could have VERY well been a disaster. Her grandmother refused to help her with a dress because she was taking me to the prom. Her grandmother refused to allow Paolo to do her hair or makeup.

Her mother took her to Bloomingdales for a dress. And then her mom did her hair and makeup. She was terrified. "Michael, be prepared for me to look terrible," she complained on the phone. I had called her before I came over just to make sure she was ready.

"Impossible," I replied.

"Ugh, you've only been to formal events when _professionals_ have taken care of me. Now I have my mother, who is probably the ditziest person alive, doing my make up. I probably only have like, half the make up on."

"Mia, you do _not_ need make up," I replied. "I fell for you before you had all the professional help."

"Michael, you know what?"

"What?"

"You are perfect. _Too_ perfect. I love you."

"Naw," I said modestly.

"I'll see you in fifteen?"

"You bet," I said before I hung up.

* * *

I got to her loft and waited for her in her living room. Mr. Gianni was chaperoning the event and was bringing Miss Thermopolis as his date. They never went on dates now that they had Rocky. This was a big night for them as well. "You look nice, Michael," Mr. G. said, straightening his tie.

I nodded, "Thanks. You too."

"You know, if you hurt her, I'll kill you."

I looked up in surprise, "Huh?"

"You heard me."

"With all due respect, sir, it's been _over_ a year since we had broken up. Over a year since we got back together. Not once have I ever given the impression that I was going to hurt her. Not a single time. When she went to Genovia in the summer I stayed put. I barely even went out other than to band practice. Then over the winter break I wrote to her _every_ day. Anytime I'm _not_ at class or at work, I am here. Doing homework with _her._ I think I've proven to _everyone_ that I am devoted completely to her. I don't understand quite why I should have to, but I guess her situation is a little different."

Mr. G slapped my shoulder good naturedly, "You have to understand where I'm coming from, right?"

I nodded. "I'm not going anywhere though."

Miss Thermopolis came in wearing a long black dress. "I love going to these things. Even if it _is _as a chaperone. Oh, hi there Michael...you look....handsome."

"You look beautiful," I replied with a shit eating grin. She still was getting used to me. I didn't get it though, it had been a year since we had gotten back together. Why couldn't they get over it?

I pondered this and therefore did not notice when Mia came into the room. Her mother cleared her throat to get my attention. I looked up from the floor and saw her. She was wearing an off the shoulder black gown. Very simple. Very clean lines. Nothing like the other dresses her grandmother had provided for her...and I liked it. Her hair was in loose curls and outlined her face.

I had never seen her look so beautiful. Maybe it was because of the meaning behind the simplicity of her outfit. She could have had a designer dress and a professional do her hair, but she didn't because she wanted me to bring her to her prom. Me, the guy who didn't even want to go to my _own_ prom three years before.

"Are you going to say something?" she asked, coming toward me. "Like, 'hi'?"

I smiled, "Hi."

She grinned and then made a goofy face at me. "Looking nice," she complimented.

"I'd say the same but I don't think it's good enough," I said, kissing her cheek. She turned red. After all these years she was still embarrassed to kiss, ever so politely, in front of her mother.

"We should get going," she whispered as her mother took dozens of pictures. "We are supposed to meet Lilly and the others soon."

"Okay."

When we saw the others I offered generic compliments, but didn't really even notice who was there. I only saw Mia. No one seemed to care about me anymore. That is, they seemed to have forgotten how I'd broken Mia's heart last year. They actually talked to me like they used to. I felt like I was finally part of her world again.

* * *

"I cannot _wait_ until I leave for California," Lilly said during the meal.

"Our apartment is going to be so cute!" Shameeka said excitedly.

"Did you girls find a place?" I asked, sipping my soda.

"Yeah. And it's not too far from campus either," Shameeka replied. "We might buy a car together."

I looked at Mia who looked terribly sad. "You okay?" I whispered as the others continued discussing their plans for the fall.

She stared at me, her eyes glistening, "Michael..."

"So Mia, what are you doing?" Shameeka's date, Andrew, asked.

All eyes were on Mia. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Mia?" Lilly asked , squinting.

Mia's lip started to quiver. "I-I...I have to go to the bathroom."

We all knew that was a lie. She always ran to the bathroom when she was nervous. Not that she had to use it necessarily, it's just she hid in there. I followed her and pulled her into the coat room before she could make it to the bathroom. "Mia, _what's_ wrong?"

She refused to look at me.

"Mia. You know, we ARE in a small place, you can't hide from me."

She looked up slowly. "I'm moving to Genovia right after graduation."

Now I knew exactly how she was feeling. I slid my back down the wall. I put my hands on my head, elbows against the knees.

"I-I didn't know h-how to t-tell you," she said between sobs. "I was kind of hoping that it'd just go away, ya know?"

"Will you be coming back at all?" I asked, peeking out between my hands.

She slid down next to me and put her head on my shoulder. "Grandmere says it'd stunt my _progress_ to return here. In Grandmere talk that means that I'll still be dating you."

I started to feel the tears breaking through my eyes. "So I'm not going to see you again?" I asked reluctantly.

She started crying even more.

"Mia...don't do that..."I said wiping her tears, forcing myself to stop doing the same thing. "Please.."

"Michael, I-I can't go without you...I need you...I never needed _anyone_ else. Only you."

I softly kissed her forehead. "Baby, we'll figure something out...I promise. Please, I don't want to see you cry."

She bit her lip to stop herself from crying. "What the hell are we going to do?"

* * *

We left her prom right after that. We walked around the city...well, I carried her some of the way because her shoes hurt too much. I loved having her so close. Giving her a piggy back and her kissing my neck. How was I supposed to live my life without her?

We went into an all night diner at three in the morning. Her mother was expecting her to stay at my parents place, so there was no curfew. I sipped at a hot coffee while she drank a lemonade.

"Are you upset about leaving your prom? I know you've wanted to go for-"

She grabbed my hand, "Michael, I got to spend the night with the guy I'm crazy about. A guy I _may_ have to leave forever. I think I'm okay with ditching my little prom."

I was really surprised at her reaction. When I was a senior and didn't want to go to my own prom she found a way to convince me to go. Her lack of enthusiasm was completely a shock to me. "You sure?"

She leaned over the table and kissed me. "Tonight has been perfect, Michael."

"I guess I'll have a lot to live up to for next week, huh?"

"You mean, my birthday?" she asked softly.

"Duh. You have been talking about being eighteen the whole time I've known you...the past fifteen years or so."

She smiled slowly, "A lot of things happen when I turn eighteen."

I smiled and raised my eyebrows, "Such as?" I asked, kissing her.

"I'd be legal," she said with a mischievous grin.

"You could buy cigarettes," I teased.

"Yes, that is the very _first_ thing I'll do when I turn eighteen."

An idea hit me. It was crazy, but worth it. I grabbed her hand. "Come on..."

"What?" she asked. I threw money down on the table.

"Just trust me, okay?"


	6. A Three Year Plan

Author's Note:

LlJaneth: Can I just say that I adore your name? Secondly, a LOT is on Michael's mind

HGill: Grandmere is bad, but notice how she has YET to be seen in the story? We are only hearing about her. Hmm, just something I personally noticed when I re-read it.

JenJen: You will find out H- I mean Michael's real name soon. So for laughs, I'll keep it a secret 'til then ;) And they'll have a slow dance...eventually.

Thank you everyone for reading.

* * *

We quietly returned to my apartment. I told her to wait for me in the living room. "What's going on?" she whispered.

"Don't you trust me?" I asked.

She stared at me and tried to read my face, but then smiled, "_Of course_ I do, silly."

I kissed her forehead, "Then go wait in there for me."

I walked past the room where my parents were sleeping. I could hear Lilly and her friends in her room, giggling. "I bet they're doing it _right_ now...he's so romantic..." I heard Tina say with a sigh. Wow, I didn't know chicks talked about sex.

"Please, I do not want to speculate about my _brother_'s sex life."

"Ugh, Lilly, not everyone has a satisfying sex life like _you_," Tina said with a sigh.

Okay, continue on when the topic of _Lilly's_ sex life gets brought up.

"I do NOT have a sex life." Okay, I can turn back to listen in. (Okay, I was stalling a bit)

"I happen to think that Mia and Michael have. She told me about the first time he got a-"

"I swear to GOD that if you say the word boner or anything about a penis in reference to Michael I will personally kill you. I'll toss you out the window. Think about it..._sixteen floors_..."

Tina and Shameeka started laughing hysterically. Good to know she has no sex life and that Mia has told her friends about the first time she saw my penis. That _brief, unsatisfying, embarrassing_ moment (it involves the ocean, must I explain?)

I hurried back to my room and went into a drawer that was hidden within my closet. I took out a mahogony box that my grandmother gave me before she died. She had met Mia shortly before she died...

* * *

"_Boy," she said, as Mia left the room._

_"What?" I asked, half way in the room and half way out. _

_" Come back in. Shut that door."_

_I did as I was told. I didn't want to be alone with my grandmother. I had thought about all the summers I'd spent with her when I was little. She was my father's mother, came straight from Germany. My grandfather and her had escaped right before all their families had been sent to concentration camps. _

_She'd been so strong and healthy...working on a farm out in North Dakota. I hated seeing her so weak. But she told my parents that she wanted them to come out and to bring Lilly and me, as well as the girl I'd been dating for at that point, almost two years._

_"What is it, Grams?" I asked, sitting next to her on the bed. "Do you need anything? Water...medicine..."_

_"Go into my vanity over there. I have a box in the bottom drawer. Get it for me."_

_I got up and did what she told me. "What is this?" I asked looking at the detailed engraving._

_"Come here now..." she struggled. "Come on, don't got all day now boy." _

_I smiled. No matter how sick she was she would always call me boy. Since my parents had agreed with me by not calling me by my first name she refused to call me by my 'heathen' name. Yeah, Michael is that terrible. "Yes Grams."_

_She slowly opened the box. "Your grandfather was a very successful jeweler back before the war. Before he came into power."_

_She also never said Hitler. Understandable._

_"We were not able to take much with us when we escaped. Before they ransacked Papa's shop. He loved designing jewelry," she started, taking out a simple ring. "And this was the only Moscovitz original we took with us."_

_She handed me a very simple, but beautiful ring. "It's beautiful," I said softly. I started to hand it back to her._

_"No, boy. This is to go to that girl. Your Mia."_

_I stared at her with my mouth open. Now, I remind you, this is when I was a sophomore. Right before I broke it off with Mia. When I was feeling somewhat claustrophobic in our relationship. "Huh?"_

_"Michael...(this is the only time she ever called me this) I see how you look at her. And how she looks at you. How you compliment one another. You are supposed to be with this girl. And I like her. She's feisty. Much like me when I was young, when I met your Papa."_

_"Grams..."_

_"Take this ring. You give it to her when you ready. When you want to marry her. If it's not for her, then get rid of the ring. No one I don't know is going to have this. It meant too much to Papa. I don't want some stranger having it."_

_She slid it onto my pinky. "She is your match, Boy. She challenges you, no?"_

_I licked my lips. She did challenge me. Sure she supported everything I did, but if she thought it was a bad idea she would let me know. Once I thought I had her pegged she would go off and do something I didn't expect her to do. "How'd you get all this from a fifteen minute meeting with her?"_

_"I met her before...don't you remember your bah mitzvah? You danced with her one time. And when you weren't dancing with her I see how you look at her. And how she looked at you. I knew back then...six years ago."_

_I chuckled, "I'll keep it in mind, Grams. You get some rest, okay?"_

_"Put it in the box and do not let her know about it. She'll find out in due time."_

_I now know where Lilly got her attitude.

* * *

_

I brushed some dust off the box. Once I opened it, for the first time since that day with my grandmother, I could immediately smell her scent of Europe. She had never returned to Germany after the war, but she always smelled like Europe (or how I assumed Europe smelled). I put the ring on my pinky again. This was right.

The ring was rather delicate, like Mia. There were intricate engravings in the band, and an emerald in the middle, with two small diamonds next to it. I hope she'd like it. It wasn't a traditional engagement ring, but Mia was no traditional girl either.

I walked into the living room, ignoring the giggles from the other side of Lilly's door. I peeked into the living room with my heart beating outside of my chest. I prayed that she wouldn't hear it. She was pacing and mumbling something in French.

"You know," I whispered, coming up behind her. "It's not polite to speak another language in front of those who have not spoken said language in three years."

She smiled and turned to me. "What were you doing?"

"Sit down," I instructed. I know how she liked it when I was bossy. It reminded her of her favorite characters in her books and movies.

She sat down on the leather couch. She hated the couch because it was leather. Anything _made_ of animals made her want to 'yak' (her words, not mine). But she didn't argue this time. "Michael, what's going on?" she asked softly.

I knelt down in front of her. "Mia, you know that I love you, right?"  
"Y-yes," she stammered.

"And tonight you kind of gave me a shocker when you told me about having to move to Genovia."

"I-I'm sorry..." she said, looking at her knees. " I mean I understand if you don't-"

I used a single finger to raise her chin, cutting her off, "Don't apologize. I figured something out while we were at the coffee shop."

"What?" she asked hopefully.

"You said that you could marry whomever you wanted, right? That they couldn't _make_ you marry someone of their choosing. Once you turn twenty one you have free choice, right?"

She nodded, confused.

"So...I was thinking," I said, sliding the ring off my left pinky. I took it into my right hand. "Maybe we could get married."

Her eyes opened wide in surprise. "M-Michael...I don't know...we are so young, you have school-"

"And you are going to be in Genovia. I'll be here. We can both do what we have to do. And _no one_ would be the wiser. We can just be engaged for now, if you want. And then marry when you are twenty one-"

She gaped at the ring. "H-How'd you get that?"

I smiled, "My grandmother gave it to me. My Papa had made it back in Germany."

She smiled and kissed my forehead. "Let's do it," she said after a few minutes of silence. Silence that I hated.

"So...we're engaged?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes, but not for long," she started. She knelt down so we were level. "Michael, I don't want to leave here and having to wait three years without knowing. I want to leave...." She said, taking a deep breath.

"What?" I asked, taking her hands.

"_As your wife_."

I had never felt so much emotion in my entire life. Not even when I thought I'd lost her forever. No, this was filling me entirely, "A-Are you sure?"

She nodded and smiled.

I pulled her in tightly, "I don't ever want to let you go," I whispered.

"You won't have to," she replied.

* * *

Her mom and Mr. G. bought Mia an open airline ticket for her birthday. They gave it to her early because she told them that she was going to go away with Lilly, which was partially true. Lilly and Shameeka were flying out to California for the weekend to sign papers for their apartment. She just didn't mention that I would also be going along for this trip. _Or_ that we were renting a car to drive to Vegas.

"You two are crazy," Lilly said as we threw our bags into the trunk of the car at the rent-a-car dealership.

"It's _so_ romantic," Shameeka said with a sigh.

Lilly gave her a glare.

"You two are _sworn _to secrecy," Mia warned as I put my hand on her hip. "You are the only ones that know about this."

Lilly and Shameeka nodded. "Tina is gonna be upset that she was let out of this."

Mia bit her lip. "The less people who know the better, okay?"

They nodded in understanding.

"But you gotta admit it; it's something right out of one of her books."

"So she'd understand the secrecy," I cut in. "If we want to get there by midnight we better hit the road. We still need to get a license."

Mia nodded nervously. Then she turned to my sister and her fried and squealed, "I'm really doing this!"

They wrapped each other in a big hug. "We'll be back on Sunday night, okay?" Mia promised. "Then we'll fly back to New York together on Monday morning."

"Congratulations!" Shameeka screamed.

I opened the door for her and then went over to my side. Lilly was waiting for me.

"Hey," I said, avoiding her eyes. I'm sure she didn't like our little idea.

"Hey."

"Well..."

"Good luck. And congratulations. I know Mom and Dad would be happy."

"But you aren't going to tell them, right?" I asked, worried that she might let it slip.

"Michael, they won't know until the whole world knows. In three _years and one day_. But they'll wish that they could have seen it. The wedding of the century," she said, sarcastic with the last part.

"THAT will happen," I started, "In a little over three years. We haven't quite figured it all out just yet but there will be a real public wedding you can all attend."

I kissed her forehead. "Next time you see me I'll be a married man."

She rolled her eyes, "You may be married, but never a _man_."

* * *

We listened to a mix CD she made back in New York. It was a mix all right. Every other song was one I liked, and the others were ones she liked. There was a few that we both liked, but I would never admit to liking pop, and she rarely liked punk rock. But who cared? I sang along to the few songs I liked of hers, making her laugh. God do I love her laugh.

"You imitate Justin Timberlake perfectly," she said laughing.

"I do sit in my room alone for hours at a time staring into the mirror trying to get his dance moves. I just don't have the fluid motion."

"I guess it's good that you are going to be a rock star instead," she replied, "Because you can just make out with the microphone on the stage instead."

"We rockers do more than that. We also hump the mike as well," I replied with a smirk.

"I forget that so often. I date so many rock stars, so I should know that."

It hit me then. I wouldn't be able to persue my dreams of music. I would have to sit behind Mia and- Aw, who cares? I'd get a good view of her at least.

She then headbanged to "I Wanna Be Sedated". I'm gonna miss these little things about her. How she can listen to pop and then totally let loose on a Ramone's classic.

* * *

We arrived in the city around ten. "I just want to go shopping a little," she said, kissing my cheek. "I'll be back in a half hour."

"Don't take too long because we have to get our license."

I stayed in the hotel room. Lilly and Shameeka had gotten us a room for the weekend. Well, mostly Shameeka because of her love of romance and her money. If Lilly had a choice she'd want us to come back to California right away so we couldn't succumb to our hormones. But I reminded her that we were going to be married. If we took that step we could pretty much do what we wanted with our lives.

I started getting nervous. What if her grandmother figured us out? What if she had spies out for us? What if she figured out my name _wasn't_ Michael Moscovitz?


	7. Viva Las Vegas

Author's NOte: I hope I can answer all of your questions here.

- The body guard thing will be answered in this chapter.

-I don't know where I come up with my ideas. I'm just a fiction nerd

-The honeymoon question will be answered in the chapter.

- His name has nothing to do with Hitler. That would be kind of silly wouldn't it? His family being Jewish and all, but good guess ;)

- Michael has a different name because this is _Kristin's Universe_. It is necessary in this story because no one else knows it except for his family and Mia. Mia's family could therefore not find anything about Michael being married. Therefore they could not force them to separate, get it? E-Mail me if you really need a clarification.

- Michael has no police record. His parents gave him a different name at birth, kind of as a psychological experiment. One that would be rather embarrassing for him to have people call him. They gave it- forget it, it's explained later in the story. They just call him by his middle name, Michael.

-I'll marry **him** when I am ready to, **TheBreakfastClubObbessed.** You are still jailbait anyways so chill man...just chill, it's allll good ;) I'm just currently seducing him from afar at the moment.

- His having a different name makes their marriage possible, and thus the rest of the story possible.

And thank you all for reading and reviewing, here we go. I'm gonna take my time with posts now because I haven't written anything else lately and school is starting next week (where did my four months go? seriously man)

* * *

I looked out the window and wondered if Mia was among those crowds at the entrance of the hotel. She wasn't with her body guard; she had convinced her mother that she needed a weekend alone with her girlfriends before they graduated. Her mother managed to convince the prince and the dowager princess that Lars was unnecessary. That no one knew where Mia was going to be. She would be just as safe in California as she was before Lars came along.

That is, no one knew her there and would just see her as a tourist. She'd be safe.

My nerves subsided after forty five minutes, when Mia walked into the room again. "Why aren't you dressed?" she asked, putting her bag in the bathroom.

I shrugged. "No reason."

She took my suit out of it's bag. "Get dressed....that is, if you still want-"

I stood up and grabbed my suit. I kissed her cheek, "Don't dare finish that sentence. I love you. Where are you going to get dressed?"

She looked around. "I'll get dressed in the bathroom."

We shared a smile before she went into the other room to put on her dress. "I love you," she said before she shut the door.

Fifteen minutes later she emerged from the bathroom. "Close your eyes," she said softly.

I did so.

I heard her walk up to me. "Okay, open them."

I opened my eyes to see her for the first time. She looked...well..._older_. She had put two curls in the front of her head, the rest pulled back into a low, long ponytail. And then there was her dress...long and silk.. Pure white. Thin straps. It fit in all the right curves. She looked so amazing.

"You..." I started. I held back tears of happiness. Man, he was the only person who could make me cry. "You look..."

She put her fingers to my lips. "Ssh now, come on. It's almost my birthday."

We went to the Las Vegas wedding bureau without anything happening. They told us that we had other papers to sign at the wedding chapel of our choice.(Author's NOte: I have NO idea if that is how it works. But then again, this is Kristin's Universe. I decide that it does in fact work this way!)

* * *

We arrived at a wedding chapel that was quiet and out of the way. We didn't want to take the chance of paparazzi catching us. I didn't want people to think she was acting like Britney Spears, and she _certainly_ didn't want anyone to force us to get an annulment. But we were also lucky enough that she wasn't all that well known outside of Genovia and New York.

"Sign here," the clerk said at the desk. I looked at Mia and winked. I signed it with my real name.

_ Hymen Michael Moscovitz..._

We quietly went through the ceremony, stealing glances every few seconds of one another. I was amazed at how quickly it was over. Our witness, Tina Hakim Baba (the others _thought_ she didn't know, and she thought they didn't know. It'd work out on it's own, we figured. And Tina was in town with her father that weekend for some convention. It worked out perfectly for us), gave us hugs afterwards, and then scampered off to meet her parents for check in. "Good luck, guys," she whispered. "And happy birthday, Mia."

Then we were left alone. The justice of the peace went to the front desk to wait for his next couple. Because he really didn't understand that he had just married a princess and a regular Joe. We had just been couple number fourteen to him. In another fifteen minutes he would have married another couple, with us out of memory.

We stood in front of one another, simply holding hands. Staring at one another. Husband and wife.

"So..." she said, taking a step closer to me. "What's next?"

I leaned down and kissed her. "Now," I started. "I am going to give you your birthday present."

We drove back to our hotel and hurried into the elevator. Upon arriving on our floor I carried her back into our room. "Very old fashioned," she teased.

"I'm a romantic," I replied with a smirk.

I set her onto the bed. "Ready for your gift, _wife_?" I asked with a smile. I liked how it sounded. I'm a dork aren't I?

"Yes, my husband," she giggled. Well, if I'm a dork then she is too.

I handed a box over to her. I could tell she was expecting something else. "Oh...thanks."

"I hope you like it," I said, biting my lip.

She opened it slowly. Her first present.

She lifted it out of the box. "Michael..." she said softly. "A charm bracelet..."

"I can send a new charm to you as we get closer to being together," I explained. "It'll have secret meanings," I continued. "Like this here," I said, lifting the charm on it. "It's a heart with your birth date on it. Only _we_ will know it's our anniversary."

She smiled, "It's perfect. I love it."

I took a deep breath and bit my lip. "So...how's it feel? To..."

"_Be married_?" she guessed with wide eyes.

I laughed, "Yeah."

She smiled, "I like hearing you call me your wife...but," she started, standing up. "I think we _both_ would like to experience _everything_ a man and wife should."

My face went blank. I mean, I had been expecting this, but not for her to be so blunt about it. But then again, she was a married woman now.

I sat on the bed and watched as she slipped the thin straps off of her shoulders. My heart was beating pretty hard a few weeks ago when I asked her to marry me, but not like this. This was the moment...well, the second most important, moment that I'd been looking forward to my whole life. Or at least since I was twelve.

She didn't take her eyes off of me. Not even when I stood up and pulled her close to me. "You are beautiful," I whispered.

"Kiss me," she replied.

She started unbuttoning my shirt as she took hold of my mouth. Her fingers danced across my bare chest. She'd done that before, but never in only her bra and well, very little else.. As I took hold of her bra fasteners, "Are you sure...we can wait until we're older...til everyone knows."

She shook her head. "No. I want to."

"What's changed your mind?"

"You are my husband," she said simply. "And I love you. You love me. I don't want to wait three years to feel this with you," she said putting her right hand over my heart. "But if _you_ want to wait we can. But I want you to understand that _I_ want to."

I kissed her as a response.

* * *

"I love you," she whispered after. We had been lying in bed for about twenty minutes in silence. I was still shaking from the experience.

I kissed her forehead. "I love you too, babe."

She played with my chest hair. "I really am the luckiest girl in the world."

"I'd just say I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

"Michael, how many twenty one year old guys would marry their girlfriend? Especially knowing that they wouldn't see her very much for three years?"

I shrugged. "Not many guys have the perfect girl available to them."

She smiled, "I think we'd both agree that I'm not perfect."

"For me you are," I replied. "You are the only person I would ever do any of this for. I wouldn't lie to my family for anyone else. Mia, I completely adore you. I am going to spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

She yawned.

"Did I tire you out?"

She grinned, "You could say that."

"Mia?"

"That's me."

"I'm sorry you couldn't have the wedding of your dreams."

She made a face, "Michael, you _were _there, right?"

I nodded.

"Then it was the wedding of my dreams. You were all that was necessary for it."

We didn't leave our room all day (hey, we wouldn't be seeing one another for three solid years, we had to make sure we could do all we could in these precious hours! We watched movies and made love all day, hell, it IS our honeymoon...kind of). I had ordered a white birthday cake for her, and we celebrated our wedding and her birthday concurrently.

I have never loved her more. And she has never looked so beautiful. Or more alive.


	8. Goodbye

Author's NOte:

Michael is ONLY MARRIED TO MIA. He does not like the name Hymen (duh, who would?) so he goes by Michael. It's explained later why his parents named him that. Again, he is only married once and that is to MIA.

That is an actual name, I looked it up (I think one of you were helping me pick out a terrible name and all we could come up with were normal sounding ones until I stumbled on this one). It was a name that NO man would want, ya know?

JenJen- There is no more cake. Sad huh? It was good too, strawberry filling and everything (yummm, okay, must stop thinking about white cake with strawberry filling.)

AHHH- Good job updating, now go update 'What If'. Aren't I bossy?

* * *

We returned to New York with my sister and Shameeka, and acted no differently than before (well, there were massive amounts of PDA on the plane, but who can blame us?). It was incredibly difficult though, considering we were newlyweds. We couldn't show that there was a change in our relationship. We had to act like we were just boyfriend and girlfriend. Only _hoping_ that we would one day get married.

Mia acted all mad at her grandmother the night before her graduation. She knew that it would be the last night she'd have in America, so she was fighting it. I was over the loft for a graduation dinner for her. Her mother covered it up saying that Mia was going to be busy with her friends parties so they were having the party for her the night before. Only a few knew the truth.

"Think we can get out of here?" I whispered to her after we finished our meal.

She looked up at me, "Let me just have some time with Lilly and the others first, okay?"

I nodded. I watched as she put on an act for everyone. Acting like she was excited for tomorrow. Never letting on that she would be leaving New York for good. I was going to miss the little things about her. How she threw back her head when she really thought something was funny. How she twirled her hair when she was focusing on something. The little face she made when she thought someone was an idiot (this appeared when she was talking to some guy her grandmother brought along). The face she made when she was confused.

Around ten o'clock she finally came back to me. "Where to, _husband_?" she whispered into my ear.

I turned to face her. "Where do you want to go, wife?" I said just as quietly. We are such dorks.

She glanced around the room. "Everyone seems preoccupied now...Let's go to my room."

Her dad would _kill_ me if he walked in and saw us in her room...doing things that I wanted to do to her. Mr. G would kill me. Or at the very least, _castrate_ me. Which is _like_ killing a man.

We made sure no one was looking. I saw Lilly drag Miss Thermopolis toward one of her paintings, complimenting her. I love my little sister.

We got into her darkened room and she bolted the door. "When'd you the dead bolt?" I asked.

"Around my birthday," she replied wrapping her arms around my neck.

"A lot of good things happened around then," I said, leaning down and kissing her neck.

"Oh? Why don't you remind me?"

I stared at the door. "With everyone out there? You are sick babe."

She bit her lip and rolled her eyes.. "Wait here, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Like I had a choice?

She came back with Lilly, Tina and Shameeka. "Yeah, we're just going to listen to some music!" she yelled back to her mom.

"Hey," I said to the girls. Yeah, that is just what I am going to want. My sister and her two best friends watching all this?

"Thanks guys, for covering for us," Mia said as the girls went to the fire escape. "You have no idea how much we appreciate it."  
I liked how she said we. Like we were a real couple. Okay, we _were_ a real couple so I should be used to it. But think about how your parents say '_we'_. Like they are one person. "What's going on?" I asked.

"See you tomorrow," Lilly said, pulling Mia into a big hug.

"No, come back in about three hours...up the fire escape," Mia instructed. "That way it won't look suspicious."

"This is soo romantic," Tina said with a sigh.

I walked away and let them say their good byes. I didn't want to get involved in their mushiness. "Byyyye Michael," Shameeka said with a wink. "Have fun kids."

"What do I look like, your bitch?" Lilly snapped as she stepped onto the fire escape. "We'll be back." She was still disgusted the very idea of me and Mia being intimate, but she accepted it. Not whole heartedly, but still accepted it.

We were alone. Mia put on her stereo really loudly, and then shut off her light. I really couldn't see her in the darkness. "Mia?" I asked softly.

She came up behind me, "Right here babe."

She put her hands on my waist and lifted my shirt off of me. She kissed my chest fervently. "I love you," she whispered.

No other words were spoken. We laid in bed after, kissing and making plans for the next three years. I had arranged for a semester abroad for the fall, in Spain. Which isn't far from Genovia at all. We would get to share secret weekends together possibly. And then there was writing.

I had gotten a P.O. Box at the post office so her grandmother wouldn't notice a great number of letters coming to my house. We had originally thought she could possibly pretend they were for Lilly, but that wouldn't make sense. Her grandmother wasn't stupid.

I would sign all my letters Henry Richmond Heathcliff ( HRH= His Royal Highness...so what if I wasn't really? I would be eventually). I would mail them from different places so that no one would notice her receiving too many letters from one area. I know, confusing right? Well, we figure the more confusing we make it the less likely it will be for her grandmother to figure it out.

"Everything is air tight then?" she whispered, kissing my chest.

I ran my fingers through her hair. "I think so...are you...." I started. I couldn't get myself to finish the sentence.

"Am I what?" she asked with her chin on my chest. I loved how she looked right there. Her hair still messy from love making. Her cheeks a little red.

"Won't your grandmother try to set you up?" I asked reluctantly.

She rolled her eyes. "We'll figure a way around it. Maybe I could befriend someone and hire them to _pretend_ to be my husband. "

"Don't let them fall in love with you," I said with a pathetic pout.

"You are the only one I'll allow to do that," she said with a goofy grin. "You don't know how perfect you are, do you?"

I kissed her forehead, "I'm going to miss this so much."

"I like how your skin feels," she said putting her cheek on my chest. "It's so soft and warm. And you smell so nice...."

"I try," I replied.

"We better start organizing ourselves here before the girls come back," she whispered. "It's getting quiet out there."

As we got dressed again I started to stare at her. "What?" she asked nervously.

"No...don't cover up," I practically begged. "I don't know when I'll get to see you again. I just want to remember _every_ detail."

She came over and put her hands on my cheeks. "I love you Hymen Renaldo," she said with a grin.

"I prefer Michael."

"But _Hymen_ is my husband," she said with teasing eyes. "But Michael will do."

The next morning I went to the graduation ceremony with my family. An alumni spoke about the rigors of the next four years in college. I looked in the back of the class and saw Mia whispering to Shameeka who was sitting next to her. They were writing something down and giggling. I bet they were playing tic tac toe.

"Lillian Samantha Moscovitz, with honors!" Principal Gupta announced. Lilly walked up and accepted her diploma. She had received some awards during the ceremony as well. My parents had taken about a thousand pictures of Lilly and then of Mia when she got her diploma.

After the ceremony I took a picture with Lilly and then took pictures of my parents with my sister. Mia came up behind me, "Hey stranger!" she said with a grin.

"Hey babe..." I said kissing her cheek. "Congratulations."

"Can I get a picture with you?"

"No, never," I teased. We, along with our families went out to a secluded area of the campus to get pictures taken. Unfortunately the paparazzi figured out where we would be.

Mia and I got our picture taken by a tree where we used to sneak off for lunch during my senior spring semester, and where we'd sometimes meet up even when I was in college. After our picture was taken a bunch of times she turned to me and whispered, "Well, I guess that'll have to be our wedding pictures for now. We'll have to wait for the real thing for three years from now."  
I nodded and kissed her forehead. "I'm gonna miss you babe," I whispered. It suddenly hit me that she was leaving in only a few hours.

She looked past me. "I'm leaving _now_, Michael. I'll talk to you soon?" she said, squeezing her arms around me tightly.

I had to act like I didn't know she was leaving me forever. "Sure babe. Call me tonight?" I sadly was holding back tears. I'm not a crier. I don't cry. I am a man. I am a Moscovitz. We don't cry.

She winked and squeezed my hand. I wasn't going to be getting a phone call, not for a long time. She hugged me tightly before going with her grandmother, "Just don't forget that I love you, okay? No matter what you see in the papers and magazines."

"I know," I managed, "Now, go be a princess."


	9. That Summer

Author's note: Aw, how cute, you guys thought this was over! Come on, would I leave it like that? Naw, I've just been procrastinating. And kicks me off everytime I have tried to load this chapter so I took it as a sign to change it a little.

Michael 'didn't know' Mia was leaving because her grandmother didn't want anyone to know. It was supposed to be a secret that only her family knew about. Cuz who knows what Michael would do if he knew Mia was leaving...he might run off with her and elope, right?

Thanks for all the reviews!

* * *

The weeks before I got my first letter from her were pretty hard, but I started working at that internship again and started a new band to fill in any extra time. "Michael?" my mother called. I was in my bedroom at the apartment.

"Yeah Mom?" I asked.

"You have to go get your photo taken for your passport. Plus, Maya is sick so you have to pick up our dinner."

I hit a final key at my computer. "Sure thing Mom."

"Have you heard from Mia?" she asked. She could tell I was missing her, but who couldn't?

I shook my head. We had to give the impression that we were totally over and done with. That she was blowing me off. "What am I getting for dinner?"

"Mr. Wong's. Here's some money hon," she said handing me a fifty.

"Thanks. Later, Mom."

My internship was a real experience this year. They had me working with a group on a major project, and I made some new friends.

"Michael, want to get some dinner tonight?" Alex asked, hitting me on the back.

I turned to my new co-worker, "Aw no. I have some things back home to do," I replied. Things being writing to Mia.

"Oh come on! All of us are going for some drinks. It won't be the same without you."

Alex put his hand on mine and then pulled me toward the door, "I won't take no for an answer."

So we went to a bar. I had a few drinks and avoided eye contact with women. I didn't want anyone to think I was accessible. I didn't want Mia to hear anything bad about me. I got her to marry me, I didn't want her to divorce me.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, sipping his Zima.

"Nothing is wrong," I replied.

"You look sad," he replied.

"No...not sad," I said forcing a smile. "Just a bit bored with the bar scene. I'm gonna go home. See you guys tomorrow!" I said waving to my co-workers.

Alex and I became really tight that summer. We'd get dinner after work, see a movie or two. But I kept thinking about how much Mia would hate what Alex was eating (often he had pork or steak), or how much she'd love the action movies we often saw. Alex hated the movies though. He didn't see the point in cars flipping over or the pointless sex scenes.

He was kind of weird like that, but I never thought about it too much. "What are you doing tomorrow night?" he asked, leaning over my cubicle.

I shrugged. I was expecting a letter from Mia any day now. Hopefully I'd spend the night reading a letter and writing back to her. "Busy," I lied.

"What, maybe a date or something?" he asked, twiddling his thumbs.

I looked up at him for a second, "Um, what?"  
"Do you have a date?"

"No."

"Oh come on, who's the lucky girl?"

"I don't date girls," I replied, realizing that I had practically just said I was gay. "I mean, I'm not dating anyone at the moment."

"I see," he said with a grin. "Well, see you tomorrow Moscovitz."

So I was the dutiful son that summer. Or that was what I was planning on being at least. The only times I'd be a jerk are when I have gotten a letter from Mia and hadn't gotten to read it yet.

_Michael-_

_Grandmere really thinks I am forgetting all about you! I am considering a career in Hollywood for this performance! At first I would talk about you all the time, but as the weeks passed I have slowly stopped bringing up your name. This pains be so much because there are all these things around me and I'm like 'Michael would love this!' or , ' Michael would think this is funny', and I want to call you right up, but I can't. _

_It gets lonely though. I mean, back in New York I'd get lonely, but you were only a few blocks away and I could sneak off to sleep in your bed with you. In your arms. Michael, when are you getting here for the fall semester? I can't stand being apart...how are we going to do this for three whole years almost?_

_Love Always, Purple_

I had started calling her purple after we got married because her initials, like mine, were now M.M...M&M, and her favorite kind was the purple kind. So her code name was now Purple.

_Mia-_

_I'm pulling the sad puppy act, which isn't that far off course actually. It's kind of pathetic how much I am missing you. Everything makes me think of you, even work now. Because you surprised me outside of it last summer when you got back from Genovia. I eat my lunch on that bench every afternoon, sad huh?_

_People don't mention your name around me anymore. When Lilly wants me to start being nicer to her she mentions it so I get all uncomfortable, or am actually forced to act so. In all honesty hearing your name is the best part of my day. I love you. _

_We will make it through the next few years. And imagine what a shock it'll be! And think of it this way, if you are disowned I'll have already started a job here and we can settle down and have our own quiet life in New York, or where ever you want to live. You can have whatever you want. _

_Love Always, HRH_

I imagined she'd be cuddled up in her robe in bed when she read this. She'd have Lifetime playing in the background and a bowl of M&M's on her lap. Her grandmother would have probably thought that Mia had a secret boyfriend that she wasn't ready to reveal quite yet. Mia would be funny trying her best to hide this secret.

The summer went by surprisingly quickly. Alex was really starting to creep me out. He was always asking me to hang out, which is perfectly normal, but he seemed to be constantly flirting with me as well. He continuously complimented my eyes and always asked where I got my 'fab' clothes.

"I'm leaving on August twenty third," Alex explained. "When are you getting out of here?"

I threw my keys into my pocket. "The twenty ninth. I'm meeting my friend there."

Alex's eyebrow raised. "Oh? You have Spanish friends?"

I laughed, "No, she's Genovian."

Again the eyebrow raised. "She? I didn't know you had female friends. I thought you didn't date?

" I don't date. I never said I was dating her, did I?"

He smirked, "Intriguing. You don't hear of too many people from there. How would you know someone like that?"

Clearly Alex hadn't seen my picture in _Young Royalty, People or Star Magazine_. "My uh...well, you know."

"Princess Amelia?"

No one called her that. "Uh, yeah. I haven't seen her in awhile so....."

"I'd love to meet her," Alex confessed. "She always reminded me of Princess Di."

I burst out laughing. I mean, I didn't know Princess Diana so I can't really say Mia is anything like her. But the Mia I know is a real person. I'm sure the princess was as well, but seeing her in all the magazines makes her seem almost like a character. I'm sure Mia is like that to the rest of the world, but not to me. And she wasn't sad. At least we were able to secure her happiness before she was shipped off to Genovia.

"Yeah, well, she's just Mia to me."

"You love her, don't you?"

That was just a teeny understatement. "Yeah, well, I can't really talk about it. But we'll meet up when we get there, right?"

"Sure. Definitely. I have to go...I have this thing with this guy..."

My turn to raise my eye brows. "Oh, that's...uh, cool. Talk to you later. You have my cell number right?"

He nodded. "See ya. Have a safe trip."

_Michael-_

_Only one month until you are in Europe! I cannot wait to visit Spain...I hear it is beautiful in the fall...hehe! I don't know when I will be able to get there because I have all these new classes to be taking. I'm going to be taking a music theory class, aren't you so proud? This summer I have been taking some piano lessons, I've mastered the scales and am moving onto real songs. Just wait, I'll be better than you someday! No, that's a lie. You taught yourself, ya nerd. _

_You know what is weird? I look forward to your letters and to writing to you, but once I get a chance to sit down and write I totally forget everything I want to say to you. Throughout my days I think about you and the things that you would like...but then they just seem silly to write about to you. Is it bad that I find very little to write about? I mean, all that I really want is to hold your hand and to tell you about these things...I get so sad knowing that I won't get to have our relationship out in the open like before...at least not for a while. I have to go...Grandmere wants me to meet this man named Evan. That name makes me think of Evian water. Now I am rambling and putting off meeting this man. Get this, he plays water polo and collects Backstreet Boy memorabilia. And she is expecting me to give her heirs with someone like that? She's gone senile. I love you._

_Counting the hours!_

- _Purple_


	10. Spain

So Alex was a good friend. And that was all he ever would be. Well, he tried putting his arm around me the night before he left for Spain. "Alex, no," I said pushing it away.

"What? I can't put my arm around a friend?" he asked innocently.

"Go ahead and be gay, I don't care. But don't be coming onto me. I don't go for that stuff. Back off."

He started to sober up at the end of the night and apologized. "It's just hard to find someone to connect with, ya know?" he explained as we waited for the subway. "I just came out a few months ago to my family. Before that I couldn't really date or flirt in public because someone might tell the family. But they were really supportive of it, ya know? I was really surprised."

"Not a big deal," I replied. "I'm sure you'll find someone."

He patted me on the shoulder, "You too man. You'll find the right girl."

I pulled on the chain around my neck that held my wedding ring. Alex had no idea that I already had my right girl. And she was waiting for me on the other side of the world.

* * *

I walked out of the terminal at the airport . I was waiting for the University's shuttle bus to come pick me up, but I saw a sign that said my name being held up by a really thin guy. I walked over, "Hey, you from the University?" I asked looking at him quickly. It took me about a second to realize that it wasn't a man.

The person's smirk that was clearly a woman trying not to laugh. I looked at the fingers. Perfectly manicured. This was my Mia. My wife dressed as a man in a chauffeurs uniform. She never ceases to surprise me. "No, I am not."

My face exploded into a huge smile. "Let's go get my bags."

We walked out to a small car and put all of my luggage in the trunk. We didn't express any emotions. I acted like she was just like any other driver and she treated me like a regular old client. "I didn't realize you had your license," I said when we were locked into the car.

She shrugged. "I got it when I got here. The only way I can have any privacy, ya know?"

"How'd you get away from Grandmere?"

"She's getting a face peel in Paris this afternoon. She won't be back until late. Dad is playing polo with the Prince of Wales. I had to dress like this because the press was staked outside the palace gates for me. I kind of just took this car from my dad's collection. No one recognized me at all. I must say I make a cute man, huh?"

I shook my head and let our hands touch on the middle console. "How was that Evan guy?" I asked.

She laughed, "Well, my suspicions were correct."

"Suspicions?" I asked.

"He's gay_. Totally_ gay. But I came up with an idea," she said, putting on her blinker and turning into a secluded area.

"Interesting, continue," I replied.

She stopped the car when we were in the middle of a field, far from the Genovian traffic (I flew into Genovia because it was easier.The school does this for everyone going to Spain) and turned to me. She took off her sunglasses and smiled. "I can _pretend_ to date him. He can't let anyone know he's gay because of his family so he can't really date anyways. He said he'd pretend to be my boyfriend until...well, ya know...."

I didn't let her finish her sentence. I leaned over and kissed her. I loved the little moan that she gave out when I kissed her, proving that she had missed me just as much as I missed her.

"Back seat?" she said breathlessly.

I laughed. It was really cliché, but who the hell cares?

* * *

"Mia, this is Alex, he was an intern at the firm as well."

She smiled. "Nice to meet you Alex. Really, I love meeting more of Michael's friends. My friend Evan should be coming any minute now."

I gave her a look. I was going to meet the guy who would be taking my place for three years. "I'm sure we'll like him," I replied holding her hand underneath the table.

"Oh, there he is! Evan! Evan! Over here!"

Alex and I looked over to a guy who looked remarkably a lot like me. He had a little bit of shorter hair, but so what. Mia smiled at me as I took his appearance in. How was she not attracted to him when he looked exactly like me?

"Hi fellas. I'm guessing you are Michael, right?" he asked, extending his right hand. I reluctantly shook it.

"Yeah, you got that right."

"Mia never stops talking about you. And she's right, you look exactly like me."

"Which is _perfect_ because Grandmere will think I am only replacing you with Evan. See? She knows that I thought, think, you are attractive soooo....."

I still didn't trust the guy. Then again, I didn't trust any guy around Mia.

* * *

"That Evan is hot, huh?" Alex asked when we returned to my dorms that night. His was just down the hall.

I shrugged. "He's a dude. I'm not into that man."

"You aren't gay if you simply think that a man is attractive. Stop being a homophobe."

I glared at him. "I'm not a homophobe. I just don't check out other guys."

"It's really obvious that he's gay, isn't it?"  
"How so?" I asked.

"You have to check the little details. You need a real gaydar Michael...didn't you notice how he wiped his mouth with his napkin every time he spoke. Or how flamboyant his hands were when he spoke."

"A lot of Genovians talk with their hands," I replied.

"But his finger nails were perfectly manicured. What man has those?" he asked, flipping through a magazine. "And not a single hair on that precious little head of his was out of place. No sir. I think I am going to go after him."

"You do that. No offense, but I'm really tired. Can I talk to you tomorrow?"

Alex and I walked around Madrid the next day looking at the sites. I was meeting up with Mia later that night. She had to attend some royal appointments with Evan that day. Some meeting with the prime minister or something like that. She tried explaining it to me, but I was a bit preoccupied with the bikini top she was wearing. Okay, I was trying to figure out if she'd notice that I cut the string in the back. I concluded that she'd be pissed because although we were in the privacy of her hotel pool there were still some guests floating in and out.

Alex and I went to the palace in Madrid. They did a tour of the part of the palace that was open to the public, but not of the residences. Alex was pretty impressed, but I had seen the palace in Genovia before so I was used to it. Actually, Mia's place was much nicer. She had convinced her father to modernize the place in the past few years.

"Just imagine living in a palace like this," Alex said taking in all the beauty of the palace.

I could have said something then. Like, '_I will be someday. When I am the prince of Genovia. Maybe you can come by and hang out with me', _but instead, "Yeah, but it'd be like living in a cage, ya know?"

He looked at me like I had three heads. "Yeah, sure. I'm sure having servants waiting on you hand and foot would be horrid. Why, does Mia complain a whole lot about it?"

I shook my head. I didn't want him to think she was a brat. He just didn't understand what she was going through. And I didn't think we were close enough for me to talk to him about it. To tell him about the ring I wore on the chain around my neck.

"She seems really sweet. Too bad things couldn't work out for the two of you," he said taking a picture of a stain glass window.

I shrugged. _What if he was right? What if things got screwed up? What if the old lady figured us out? What if she had me taken out (okay, she's not in the mafia or anything but still. She is the dowager princess. She can have things taken care of quietly. She terrifies me to this day). _"Yeah, well, who knows these days? Maybe I'll become her _lover_ or something. I might go back to the dorms. I'm kind of tired. Don't forget that Evan is coming back tonight to bring you to some ballet charity thing." Alex was way into the ballet so Evan suggested that he take Alex to a performance that night so I could see Mia.

Alex smiled a little. "He's kind of cute don't you think?"

"I _told _you last night I wouldn't know."

"I am going to make you open up a bit. I mean, you are so oblivious to what is right in front of you afterall."

"Huh?"

He laughed. "First off, I was _blatantly_ flirting with you all summer long and you only figured out that I was gay a few weeks ago after I told you bluntly. Secondly, it is clear that Mia has a boyfriend, and it _isn't_ Evan."

I half smiled as I looked away from him. "Why do you say that?" I said.

"She has that glow about her. Plus, did you see...wait a second. You have..." he said with realization. I pulled him into a public bathroom. I looked around quickly and found no one else was there.

"Look, yes we are together and no one knows. Well, _Evan_ does. But I swear if you say one word I will kill you."

"How is this supposed to work?" he asked, clearly confused.

I looked at my watch. I was expecting Mia in another three hours. "Let's go back to the dorms. I'll explain there.

"So?" he said with raised eyebrows when we reached the safety of the dorms. My roommate, Andre was out chasing some girl in the courtyard.. "Explain."

"Okay, so see, her family hates me."

"Well, you _are_ a commoner and look how you _dress_..." he said making a face at my Ramone's concert t-shirt and ripped jeans.

So what if my shirt had a few holes here and there? It added character. "It's not that. See, we broke up after we dated for like, I dunno, two years. I was a moron, I broke her heart. But I only did it because my friends wanted me to. I felt kind of tied down at age nineteen, ya know?"

He shrugged. "I guess it can be scary to meet someone that seems perfect at such a young age."

"That's what I told myself!" I exclaimed. "Well, in any case, I regretted it right away but was too much of a shithead to do anything about it. And she had started seeing some actor . So I figured it would be better for her to just be with him. But then I decided I needed to have her back. It felt like something was eating away at me when I was away from her. So at her junior prom I got her back from that sleezy actor, but it turns out she was just with him to get me jealous. So ever since we've been together. But her grandmother has never forgiven me. She had been thrilled that we had broken up because up until then I'd been the _ideal_ consort, she literally had nothing to pin on me. No one would accept her complaints.....now she had an excuse not to like me. But we stayed together anyways against her wishes. Mia found out that once she graduated high school her grandmother was planning on taking her to Genovia forever. She is not a legal adult there until she is twenty one. So she couldn't escape for very long if she tried to. Her grandmother brought her there so she'd forget about me and her life in New York."

"And so far it isn't working?"

"Well, she turned eighteen at the beginning of May..."

"Yeah? Did you knock her up or something? You can't tell..." he said, loving the fact he knew about royal scandal before The National Enquirer.

"No, well, I don't think so. We eloped. No one knows other than my sister and two other friends. You rat us out and I'll kill you."

"Yeah, but I don't get how a marriage will work out if you can't tell anyone."

"When she is twenty one she can choose her marriage partner and no one, not her grandmother, her father or parliament can do a damn thing about it. It's an old law that Mia looked up."

"So...you got married why?"

"Because that way if her grandmother forced her to marry it'd be null and void because bigamy is illegal in Genovia."

"As it should be. It's kind of romantic, the marriage, not bigamy. So she isn't with Evan in _any_ way, right?"

I laughed. "No, he's a cover. He's a gay man from an aristocratic family so he's using _her_ to cover that up. Once his old man dies he can do whatever he wants. That'll happen soon I guess, but he'll wait to come out until Mia and I are together officially."  
Alex smiled, "I _knew_ you were a romantic! I knew it from the moment I met you! I mean, sure back then I wished it was me who was receiving your attentions but still...she's lucky. I'll help out however I can. I promise."

I don't know why, but from the look in his eye I could tell he was telling the truth. He would help me, but in ways I would have never imagined that late summer evening.

In ways that MIA would have never imagined.


	11. A little 'bump' in the Three Year Plan

* * *

Author's NOte: Remember the good old days when I updated every day, that is, I updated TWO stories at once (okay, that was only like, last week but I digress)? Yeah, those days are gone now my friends. I'm putting My Best Friend on hold while I finish this one up. So it'll be a while. Plus, I have another one in the works. And it's a good one if I do say so myself...So enjoy this one....it's a dooby

* * *

"I am sooo happy that English is the most common language in the world and that our professors speak it to us!" Alex said putting his hand on my shoulder. "I couldn't survive midterms in Spanish."

I smiled and looked past him. I saw Mia talking to a girl wearing a jumper. The girl seemed so excited to be showing the princess around the campus of the university. Mia turned and winked at me, but kept her attention mostly on the girl.

"She's behind me isn't she?" Alex asked. "You always get that look on your face when she's around."

I smiled like a big goof. "Yeah. She's taking a private tour. You know, I have always wondered where our library is. Wanna join in?"

He rolled his eyes. "This is the _third_ one in the past month," he complained. "I mean, I think this tour guide was the one who did the first one. I can't think of any more interesting questions about the library art work so you two can go make out in the stacks."

I smiled half heartedly, thinking about the last time. We were almost caught by a guard. I had convinced him that she'd been choking on a grape and had stopped breathing so I was performing CPR. After I ran away so I wouldn't be congratulated for saving the princess. Her Grandmere would see right through that.

"Mind if we join you?" I asked the tour guide. She glared at me . "That is, if the _princess_ doesn't mind."

She pretended to be shy. "Not a problem."

The tour guide looked at us questionably until Evan walked over to us. "Can anyone come along?"

She nodded with a sigh. "I guess if it is okay with the princess."

Mia nodded enthusiastically. "Of course it is okay with me. I love meeting new people!"

Evan can play a straight man very well. He flirted with our guide (it was almost too funny how jealous Alex was), and allowed for us to slip out of the way unnoticed while we were in the main administration building. "How'd you get here?" I asked, kissing her neck like I hadn't seen her in years instead of weeks. She had been attending the University de Genove (what is with the people of Genovia shortening words? That will change when Mia comes into power), and had been stressed out about her calculus exam.

"Evan told Grandmere that he wanted to take me on a romantic weekend by the shore so he brought me _here _of course," she said as she tickled my neck with kisses. I loved holding her this close, pulling in her scent. She had lost her native aroma from New York. Now she always smelled like flowers, not a bad thing, just new. Another step to change her done by her grandmother.

But she was still Mia. "So what will we do instead of your romantic weekend with Evan?"

He raised her eyes wide, "I bet we could think of a few things," she whispered huskily.

* * *

Okay, so it seems like all we ever do is hang all over one another, right? But think about it here. That is the 'fun' part of being married ya know? I mean, we go out on dates when we can. But right now we don't want to waste our valuable time together fighting and bickering (not that we do either on dates, but you know what I mean...we both have hormones working on overload here). We never really fought to begin with, but I am sure we will once we are living with one another twenty four hours a day seven days a week. We'd become the typical old married couple, but I really didn't care. As long as I could tell everyone I knew, and those I didn't, that I was married to her. That she loved _me_, not the horseback riding, Backstreet Boy listening _Evan_.

That weekend we _did_ go to the shore. Evan and Alex stayed in a suite next to ours…we never bothered to ask about them. It was kind of obvious that they were into one another. Which is good, as long as it works out. "You know what I was thinking?" Mia asked as we laid lazily in our bed.

"That you are the luckiest woman in the world to have such a sex god for a husband?" I asked.

She giggled and twirled my chest hair, "Well, I was thinking, when I become the princess I should make it legal for Evan to marry a man, or well, any man to marry a man….or a woman to marry a woman. Kind of like a silent thank you to him for all he is doing for us."

"Not because homosexuals are human beings and deserve to be treated as such?" I asked.

"Oh _of course_ that too. And if I could I'd do it now I would, but I can't until well…you know."

I nodded, not until Phillippe died.

"But I think it'd be a nice surprise for Evan, don't you?"

"Yeah. Who knows, maybe he and Alex can get married."

"I mean, it's so silly these days, the whole argument about the sancity of marriage. What about the _Bachelor_? Or _Who Wants to Marry my Dad_? _That_ is making a mockery of marriage. The people who really should get married aren't allowed to! I mean, I read about these two woman who were together for like, fifty years and had no rights. Like, one ended up in the hospital and the other wasn't allowed in the ICU because she wasn't family. And they get no survivor benefits!"

"Mia, not to burst your bubble here, but considering Genovia is mostly Catholic, would it even pass?"

She shrugged. "I'm a new age princess, I can convince them. I mean, yeah sure on a religious basis I _shouldn't_ believe in it, but we aren't living in the dark ages. And if we were the relationships wouldn't be frowned upon! Well, you have to separate church and state at times. I dunno, just something I've been thinking more about since I've gotten closer to Evan. He seems so…hopeless at times. Almost disappointed in himself. Sad huh?"

I kissed her forehead as she stared off into space. I love when she started getting so upset about something that she blabbered. She was so adorable. "You are so caring, Mia. That is one of the million reasons I adore you."

She smiled, "_Not_ because I am a sex goddess?"

I smirked, "I think we need to work on our god-status together," I said pulling myself on top of her. She sighed at the weight that I placed on her.

"Practice is always good," she said with a laugh. She pushed my hair behind my ears. "God, how did you get to be so handsome?" She said this in a way she had never said words before. Like, she suddenly realized what I really looked like.

"How can you even see me?" I asked. We were only illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the window.

"I don't have to see you to know how gorgeous you are," she whispered.

I laid my head on her chest so I could hear her heart beating.

"Aren't you ever afraid that this is just a little dream?" she said softly. "That Grandmere found out about us and has already destroyed it?"

I entwined my fingers with hers. "We only have a few more weeks until I go back to New York. Then only 2 ½ years until I come home to you," I replied. _She_ was my home.

"I wish I was as confident as you are," she whispered. "But I know I love you and nothing is ever going to get in the way of that."

* * *

She happened to be going back to New York for Christmas the same day as I was so I decided to fly out of Genovia. Alex joined me. "Won't she be taking a private plane?" he asked as we lugged our luggage through the airport.

"Yes, but my mom asked her mom ahead of time if I could fly back with her. She is concerned about terrorist strikes and figured a private plane would be safer. Phillippe even agreed."

"That is sooo weird."

"What is?" I asked.

"Calling a prince by his first name."

"You call Mia by hers," I replied.

"Yeah, but she isn't the leader of thousands of people."

"Genovia is has less people than New York City," I replied. "Bloomberg controls more than he does."

"But he is royal, Bloomberg isn't."

I shrugged.

"This is kind of cool…a private plane. Maybe Evan and I can join the mile high club…"

I really don't care if he's gay. He can have sex with any man he wants (well, not me) and I really wouldn't care

Honestly. He could go have sex with the prince of England and I would congratulate him. But Evan kind of creeped me out. I mean, he looked like me. What if Alex was still into me and pretended it was me? It was all a bit too much for me

I shook Mia's hand when we approached her and her father. Her dad glared at me. Did he know? Alex took my hand, "Sweetie, want me to take your bags?"

I took a deep breath, "Thanks. Hello your highness," I said to the very shocked prince. "Hey there Mia," I said giving her a very un quenching hug.

"Who is this _friend_ of yours?" Phillippe asked.

I turned back to Alex who was talking animatedly. "That's my friend Alex. Isn't he the greatest?" I asked with a grin. I winked at Alex. I was gonna let him think what ever he wanted to think.

"It's good to see you have gotten everything out of your system," Phillippe replied.

I shrugged, "It had to happen eventually," I replied. Little did he know the 'it' I meant getting married to his daughter.

"Dad, I think I can take it from here," Mia hissed. "Michael and I have some catching up to do."

Her father, thinking that I was with Alex, felt it was okay to leave his young daughter in my hands. "Okay Mia. Have a nice break," he replied, kissing her cheek. "Show Evan a good time in the city, okay?"  
She nodded and acted like she was uncomfortable talking about Evan in front of me. Her dad walked away with all of his body guards and Mia pulled me behind a wall. I expected her to kiss me. But instead she said the words that no twenty one year old guy wants to hear.

"I'm late."


	12. And The Envelope Please

"No, the plane hasn't left yet," I said, hoping she meant for the flight. Please mean the plane. Please mean the plane....

She sighed. "I missed my last period and am due for another one this week and haven't gotten any of the signs for it to be coming."

There are signs? "Signs?" I asked.

"You know, the chocolate…feeling fat… mood swings. I've been way too freakin happy!" she nearly screamed.

"You sound like it..." a passer by said sarcastically.

I nodded and hugged her tightly. What the hell are we supposed to do? We had never thought about this before. "But have you gotten any of the signs that you are …." I started as I looked around. "That you are uh, not _well_?"

She looked toward a tourist who was kind of just pretending NOT to be looking at her and I. She had a camera in her hand and was waiting for Mia to walk past her so she could ask for a picture. "Would you_ like_ a picture?" she asked the woman, ignoring my question.

The woman turned red but came over and handed me the digital camera. Is that what I am to people? _A camera man_? The woman was busy fussing with her hair, "Do you want to play with your hair or take a picture? (A/N: a prize to whomever can guess who I said this to!)"

The woman was startled, but laughed after seeing Mia smiling. "Sorry. I'm just nervous."

"No problem. We just have a plane to catch," I explained.

Mia signed a picture of her and her mom at an art gallery opening when she was fifteen. She looked a little freaked out. "Nice to meet you," she said in her princess voice. "I'm going back to New York now with some friends so I hope you have good holidays," she said with a fake smile.

I handed the camera back to the woman and walked toward Alex and Evan. "Does Evan know?" I whispered.

She shook her head. "No, I wanted to talk to you first."

"About what?" Evan asked, putting a protective arm around his 'girlfriend'.

"Nothing," we said at the same time.

"Uh, oh, trouble in paradise," Alex said sarcastically.

The two guys went on one end of the plane, leaving Mia and I alone to discuss our problems. "Michael, I'm freaking out here. What the _hell _are we supposed to do?"

"We don't know for sure, right?" I replied.

"Uh, no. But come on, think about it. I actually at a _hamburger_ the other day. They say pregnant vegetarians start eating meat without even thinking about it. I read about it in-"

"You are a carnivore?" I teased, trying to keep it light.

She glared at me with squinty eyes. I looked out the window at the clouds that were almost next to us. I remember when I was little I wanted to open the plane door and jump on to the clouds. Now I just wanted to jump out the plane period.

"We'll figure it out together," I replied, holding her hand. "I'm not going to make you go through it all alone," I promised.

She bit her lip so she wouldn't start crying. "They are going to kill us."

I took her face in my hands. "I won't let them do anything to you or our baby," I whispered, our foreheads touching.

I saw a smile creep onto her face. "Michael, we may have made a little _person_ together," she said with wide eyes. Happiness for the first time since I had seen her that day.

But she had a point. We may have made a baby together. Half of me, half of her. I kissed her heartedly. "Mia, the baby will be beautiful. Just think-"

"I hope it gets your hair," she whispered. We had to keep our voices down so that the flight attendants didn't hear us. They mostly kept to the back of the plane to gossip. Let them.

"Why my hair?" I asked.

She combed her fingers through my unruly mane. "Because it is perfect. And your eyes…"

"But _your_ nose. My nostrils are huge," I replied. "You have a cute nose."

She looked back at Alex and Evan who were slowly making their way to the bathroom one by one. "I should tell Evan. He can go get a test for us when we land. No one knows him over there. If the press sees you and me get off the plane together and then go buy a pregnancy test they'll know."

I looked at her stomach. I hated not knowing if a little piece of me was in there. If she was carrying little Michael. Well, I wouldn't name my son after me, after either one of my names. He'd have to have a totally unique name. I mentioned this to her.

"Who says it'd be a boy?" she demanded.

"Well…"

"I think it'd be a girl. We could name her Catherine, like the character in Wuthering Heights."

"Yeah, and that would be a smart idea. She was kind of crazy wasn't she?"

She shrugged. "Fine, Jane for Jane Eyre."

"No. That caused enough problems for everyone we know. It broke up Tina and Dave-"

"But then she found Boris."

I rolled my eyes. Our circle of friends was too tightly consumed in one another. "Not Jane. It's far too plain. Our kid would never be plain."

"Michael, we still haven't decided what we are going to do about this. Are we going to pretend it is Ev-"

"If you finish that sentence I will not talk to you ever again," I snapped. Even the _thought_ of my child being brought up as another mans was disgusting.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I just…"

"We'll tell them the truth," I said simply. "Or part of it. We'll say we ran into one another a few months back and had a one night kind of thing. Never meant to be more, or less. Or we can figure it out later."

That seemed to satisfy her. She liked it when I took charge and made decisions. I think it's because she knows that when she takes over in Genovia she will have to make most of the major decisions for her country. She doesn't want to deal with her own, it'd be easier to let _me_ decide.

"I don't know what I would do without you," she whispered as she drifted off to sleep on my shoulder.

* * *

We sat in her mother's bathroom on the edge of the bath tub. Evan took her mother, Mr. G, and Rocky out for dinner. Mia said she was too tired to go out into the city, and I came over after the others left.

We stared silently at the little stick that sat perched on the sink ledge. I held her hand as the timer neared the end of the line. She jumped when it buzzed. She then looked at me. "I'm too scared."

I kissed her gently. "No matter what it isn't going to change anything. Well, Grandmere would hate me a little more…but hey, she'd have to let me see my kid, right?"

She hadn't thought of that. I mean, sure we'd kind of be using the kid as a pawn in our little game. But what a game it was! "We should look," she whispered.

I glanced over at the sink. "Yeah, probably."

But it was almost like we were cemented to that bathtub. Neither wanted to face the consequences. Neither of us knew what we wanted it to say. If it was negative there would be no more lies to add to our list of them. But if it was positive we'd have a baby. "You know," she started. "Back before we were ever together I thought you'd never love me. I thought you would fall in love with Judith Greshner because she could clone fruit flies."

"Yeah, that _does_ kind of turn me on," I teased.

"But I may have made a copy of _you_," she said softly. "I would have never thought I could make something even better than a fruit fly."

"Now come on Mia, we haven't met the kid yet. The fruit fly _might _be cooler," I said putting her hair behind her ears.

She gave me a lopsided smile and stood up. "Well, we aren't getting any younger."

I stood up and took her hand. "Ready?"

"We've put it off too long I think." She lifted up the test with her eyes squeezed shut. "You look."

I looked at the directions. "Blue means no, right?" I said, almost sadly.

She slowly opened her eyes, "Right."

"Then I have to tell you, _Mom_, that we'll be having a baby!" I said excitedly, psyching her out.

Her mouth dropped in shock. "What? I-I am having a baby?" she asked, instinctively placing her hand on her stomach.

My face exploded into the biggest smile I had ever shown another person. _I was going to be a father_.

_I was going to be a father. Shit_. I was going to be responsible for another human being. How was I not going to screw it up? I mean, I don't normally screw things up….but I'm not the best with human relationships. I slid down the tiled walls, having trouble breathing. Mia held the test in her hand and had a conflicted expression. We were both happy that we were having a baby…but at the same time how the hell was this going to work out?

* * *

We made ourselves a small dinner and ate in front of her stepfathers' big screen television. She cuddled up to me, and I put my hand on her stomach. "We should make you an appointment with a doctor," I said as we stared at the screen. We weren't really watching the show on the screen. I THINK it was ER, but I could be wrong.

She looked down at my hand placed protectively over her middle. "I'm going to get fat," she complained.

"Your _breasts_ will get soo much bigger," I countered.

"I'll lose my sex drive," she replied to tease me back.

"_Good _because I'll be in New York," I said back to her.

She bit her lip. "It'll work out, right?"

We stared at one another for a few minutes then I finally broke the silence, "Of course baby. We'll work it all out so don't worry your head about it, okay?"

Her lower lip was quivering. "I've NEVER felt so confused in my entire life. I'm happy, but I'm sad. I'm terrified of having to explain it to Grandmere and of having to force something the size of a watermelon out of a hole the size of a lemon!"

I tightened my arm around her and kissed her forehead. "Mia, your body is supposed to do that." The words made sense, but the whole birthing thing still seemed a little alien to me. It doesn't seem natural for a person to come out of another person. But she couldn't know that. "You'll be fine. Your mom did it, mine did it…they did it multiple times."

"I'm gonna be so fact and Grandmere is gonna be pissed. She's going to disown me!"

I didn't have anything to say to that. "Maybe we should keep this quiet for awhile…" I whispered.

She nodded. I hadn't realized she had started to cry. "I don't want to lose you or our baby, I mean, think about it Michael…we have a _family_ now," she whispered.

I stared at her stomach. We did have our own little family. Strange thing isn't it? Twenty four hours before I was thinking about how great it was going to be to spend a few weeks in my and Mia's favorite playground; New York City. I was thinking the next big thing that would happen to me would be when we finally got married. But no…we were going to be parents.

We were going to be parents. Holy shit. Someone will be calling me Dad. Not Michael. Not Moscovitz. But Dad. Maybe Daddy?

I left before her family came home. I was on cloud nine, we both were. We both couldn't believe that this was happening to us, but we were happy. It felt normal. Natural that we'd be having a baby.

So natural that things would simply fall into place, right?


	13. Well, it can't hurt

We didn't tell anyone, not even Lilly. We had gone to the doctors to confirm the home pregnancy results, and gotten a contract of confidentiality. Well, it wasn't difficult considering the doctor was my Uncle Dexter.

He had been under the impression that Mia and I had broken up and that I was just a good friend helping her out. Uncle Dex happened to know someone in Spain that would take care of Mia.

Well, we had to tell Evan because he would be the one responsible for taking Mia to the doctor appointments. I told him that if anything went wrong he was to call me immediately.

She left a week after my birthday. My last semester of school was starting so I tried to focus on that, but it was so hard. I couldn't focus knowing that my wife and my baby were half way across the world. Alex could see how spastic I was getting.

I mean, I was reading every single article about pregnancy possible. I started becoming a hypochrondriac (sp?) FOR Mia. Every day I was convinced she was stricken with a new disease or that she wasn't getting enough vitamins, that kind of thing. I was a frequent visitor to about five different websites for father-to-be's. Never knew they existed but they are pretty informative.

* * *

"You know, I was thinking. Next year we are both going to be working at Arnoldson's right?" Alex said, mentioning the fact that we had both been offered positions at the computer firm pending our graduation.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we share an apartment? I bet we could find a great place near there. Evan said he'd help us out."

I rolled my eyes. "What is he your _sugar daddy_ now?" I teased.

"Michael, I really love him," he said softly.

We were sitting in a coffee shop that we went to throughout the summer. The waiters remembered us. "There you go boys," he said putting our coffees down. I nodded and waved him away. I wasn't being rude, but we needed our privacy to discuss our significant others.

"That's really cool," I replied, typing quickly onto my lap top. "Oh, hey, Mia had sent me the first ultrasound picture." I hadn't seen such a beautiful picture in my life.

"Um no offense, but where is it?" he asked, making a face.

I bit my lip. "Um, I dunno. Maybe that's the baby? Don't call the baby 'it'. The baby is a boy or a girl, but still hasnt' quite decided yet.

Okay, so the baby was a little blob. Alex figured it out and had to point it out to me, but still it was perfect. It was my little baby. My son or daughter.

_Mia- It's perfect…absolutely perfect. No one knows, right?_

_ Love HRH_

The doctors told us that Mia was three months pregnant and therefore would be having the baby in June. Perfect I would be able to see the baby before I started working. Maybe that is. If Grandmere doesn't put a warrant out for my arrest or something for illegally impregnating the princess without her sole permission. Hey, I just helped produce an heir, she should be happy, right?

Alex and I hung out all the time together. I occasionally hung out with my old band, but hardly ever had time to hang out with them anymore. I had to work all the hours I could as a waiter so I could save money to go see my wife and child when Mia gave birth. I wanted to be there with them, but I wanted to pay my own way.

_Dearest HRH:_

_ Here are some of the latest ultrasounds. See how his little body is developing already? No one knows still. I'm actually lucking out because I haven't gained much weight. And since it's winter I wear sweaters all the time so no one can see the teeny bulge. I lie to Grandmere about the balls and the gowns. I tell her that Evan doesn't believe in them so she doesn't force me to go. Gullible, no? Do you think we should find out the sex of the baby? The next appointment is in three weeks and I can find out then, but I don't want to know if you don't want to know. It wouldn't be fair for me to know and you not to know. Have you thought of anymore names? I think maybe Kate for a girl and maybe Jack for a boy. Both very simple names right? I have to go. Ethan and I have an appearance to make at the Prime Minister's birthday. So exciting huh? I hope I don't start eating like a pig or ask for something strange like pineapple with peanut butter smeared on it….Actually, that doesn't sound half bad. Maybe I'll grab a snack before we leave. Ethan will tease me terribly but I don't care. I love you._

_ Purple_

_Mia- _

_ I was reading something about babies in What to Expect When You Are Expecting (my mom saw it in my dorm and was all confused considering I have no social life to speak of. I told her it was for a class project in Psychology). It said that all babies start out as females and then some develop into males. That would be why men have a nipple, that solves the great mystery huh? Well, in any case, I think we should find out what the baby is. We would be able to cut out half the possible names. I don't know how I feel about those names though babe…I like Anastasia for a girl and Xavier for a boy. They seem kind of royal, don't they? Dowager Princess Anastasia Renaldo Thermopolis Grimaldi Moscovitz…Xavier Renaldo Thermopolis Grimaldi Moscovitz…well, we'll work on it a bit more I think. When are we going to tell everyone?_

_ Love, HRH_

_

* * *

_

Alex and I spent our free time in bars. His family thought they could make him straight and encouraged him to go pick up women in bars. But it was really pathetic. The two of us would go to a sports bar, pick up the most obscure spot to sit. Then I would order a Sam Adams, he'd order a cosmopolitan. Then I would explain to him why spring training for baseball was so important. Which is difficult because I really don't get it myself. Like, okay, sure the World Series I can see having all sorts of coverage about, but who cares about the pitchers arriving in Florida? Or that the team is ready to seek revenge on their rivals from last season?

"I wouldn't mind going to third with that guy," Alex said biting his straw.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please stop that stuff. You have Evan."

"You check out other girls, I see it," he argued.

Okay, I _AM_ human after all, but I never talk to other girls. How I am not supposed to look at a girl who is wearing an abnormally short skirt in March? Or the low cut shirts? I mean, I am a twenty two year old man here. My wife is in a different country. All I want is her so why can't I just _LOOK_ at other women?

Not like Im going to do anything with anyone. Can't hurt to look, right?


	14. Bonding with Lilly

_ Author's Note: You ladies make me giggle. I hope you don't live in a world where you believe that your boyfriends do not look at other girls. Here's a secret I've learned: They do. ANd they do it right in front of you as well. Doesn't mean anything though. Well, maybe it does. I can't really tell you for sure. Sit back and wait...awhile_

_**JENJEN**- I love the name Xavier. First of all, makes me think of Cabbage Patch Kids (Xavier Roberts invented them or something). Secondly, I chose that because there is a school in the next town from me where all of my old guy friends from High School (cough, all of my ex's as well) went to. The also school also had wicked cool dances (well, they were cool for ninth and tenth grades...) I wouldn't ever name a real person that, but it's a cool character name isn't it? _

_**Hannah**- You can be dealt with later. (heh) ANd yes, he is going to cheat on Mia with a high school girl (who loves vintage clothes and serenading people online when they have no idea what she's talking about), named Hannah in California. Then when she gets bored with him she's going to start having an affair with a drummer friend of his (**others**, please note that this is a joke Michael would do no such thing with a teenage girl)_

_**JCLVARTAN**- Happy Birthday! How old are ya now? I am gonna have no time next week to really update so here ya go!_

_** Wenders**- I pride myself on being semi original in my stories. I refuse to copy myself . You'll see what he decides to do._

**Everyone else:**_ Woot, keep the reviews coming. And thanks for reading this. _

And I dunno if it was for this story or for my other one, but someone asked if I had suggestions for other PD stories to read....I would suggest Robtaymattlouned's story **"What Friends are For**" because it is just simply wonderful. Ummm tries to think of stories that are actually updated so you won't get frustrated like I am right now .

**Better than Perfect** - Margaret Rose (set in future land, a place I frequent)

**Flamin**-Schwartzibrow (very original)-au

**Creep** and it's Sequel Here Today, Gone Tomorrow- Daydreamer022 (future)

**Summer Lovin'**-Robtaymattlouned

**To Die For-** Risethesettingstar

**Close Your Eyes**- Booney (set in the past, a place I never frequent)

Um, and more to be added later. I think this A/N might be longer than the chapter unfortunately...

* * *

_ HRH-_

_So I went to the doctors today and Evan and I found out what the baby is going to be. Shall I keep you in suspense? Nooo, that wouldn't be nice at all! We are having a little girl! Can you believe it? I'm still in complete shock here…wishing you were with me to celebrate. I loved when you used to put your hand on my once flat belly (I have a bump now but it only looks like I've simply put on some weight). Now we must think about a 'princessy' name. But I don't care about that...just a name that will fit her, ya know?_

_Evan has been wonderful to me, really he has, but he's not you. You are the only person I want to have around me right now. To joke about the stupid aristocrats. To attend all the silly coming out parties for the younger girls. Seeing them flirt with you would be hilarious! At least seeing how you would react would be! When can you get out here? We have to tell my dad and Grandmere together you know. I can**not** do that by myself. _

_Love- Purple_

A little girl. I was going to have a _daughter_. "Michael, why do you have a glazed look on your face?" Lilly asked as we waited for our dinner to arrive during our bonding time at Turner Street Café during her spring break.

"Huh? What look?" I asked quickly. "I don't have a look."

"Did something happen with Mia?" she asked.

"No," I lied immediately. "It's just weird. School is almost over for me now. I have to get a real job and stuff."

"What's the point?" she asked. "I mean, you'll be leaving in only two and a half years to become the prince of a small principality."

I shrugged. "I have to get my own apartment and be on my own. I don't want Mom and Dad breathing down my neck all the time about finding a new girlfriend."

"You know they don't care about that stuff," she replied.

"Yes they do. Did you hear them last week at the family dinner?"

"What?"  
"They think Alex is my boyfriend. They think I am gay."

She burst out laughing. "Really? I think that Tina thinks you are as well."

Tina knew I wasn't. But Lilly didn't know that Tina knew about me an Mia. I decided to change the subject. "Why did you come home for spring break? Why not go somewhere exotic or where the drunks go?"

"I missed my big brother," she replied simply. "I missed running around New York like a crazy woman."

"You hate California don't you?"

She laughed a little. "It's too nice out there. I like the grimy city. I am sending my applications to different schools around here."

"You are transferring? What about Shameeka?"

"We aren't currently on speaking terms. She had her boyfriend over last week and every time I walked into a room they were going at it like rabbits."

"Her parents would kill her," I said as the waitress placed our plates on the table. "But _clearly_ you thought about this before this little fight." She looked really weird while we were talking about California.

"Well yeah. But she can afford the place by herself. I just kind of lived there and gave her a little money when I could. It's weird, I always thought I'd get a place with Mia before you guys would get married. Strange how things work out huh?"

"Mia would have liked to live with you," I replied, "But then you'd have to deal with _us_ going at it in every room."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah well as disgusting as that would be I would deal with it since you two are married. Hey, what would you do if say..like she got _pregnant_? How would you guys explain _that_ one?"

My eyes almost bulged out of my head as I choked on my iced tea. "Huh?"

"Oh my God!" Lilly exclaimed. "She is? I knew it! I knew it!"

I stared at her and said nothing.

"Oh my gosh, what the hell are you going to do? You should have left the snake in the cage Michael!"

"Hey, Robert Deniro knock it off," I replied. "She is my _wife_ I am obviously going to want to do _that_ with her."

"Well, duh! But what about protection?"

"We used it every time. I swear to God we did. Well...there was one time... I guess it was...." I drifted off, remembering that first day I was in Spain, in late August. Great. Our daughter was conceived in the backseat of a Town Car.

"What are you going to do?"

"Help raise my daughter," I replied simply.

Her eyebrows raised. " I'm going to be an aunt…I'll have a little niece…How far along is Mia exactly?"

"She's due in June."

"So you have _three months_ until you become a father?"

I thought about it, "Yeah, basically. But you can't tell anyone."

"Doesn't her grandmother know?"

I shook my head. "Not really. Mia's been hiding it from her. She hasn't really shown very much. At least not yet. We'll tell her when I go see her after I finish school. Once I finish up my finals I'm planning on flying over there."

"Um, what about graduation?"

"They'll mail Mom and Dad my diploma," I said brushing it aside. Being at some stupid four hour ceremony and listening to some old fogies tell us that we are the future did not sound as appealing as seeing my wife and child (possibly the child).

"You do realize Mom and Dad are going to kill you if you don't go to graduation, right? Oh, and don't forget the whole royal family of Genovia will probably want you dead as well for producing an illegitimate heir to the throne. But I'm sure you realize that."

"Yeah well, no matter what they are gonna kill me. Why not have a part of me with Mia in form of a daughter?"

"I can't believe it," she said, suddenly realizing the GOOD part of the situation. "I'm going to be an aunt…I'm going to have a little niece…What do you think she'll be like? I mean, think she'll look like you or Mia?"

"I hope she has Mia's nose. It's sloped just right," I said, saying Mia's name softly so no one would hear. "And she wants the baby to have my hair…"

"She wants her daughter to have the whole 'I never wash my hair' look? Geez, I feel bad for this kid…just think of the dance moves it'll have."

"I beg your pardon? I can dance."

"Copying the Robert Carmine patented pigeon dance does _not_ count as dancing. It's sad and is known to be rather destructive."

"I'll give you that. But M-"

"She's just as bad. She actually likes the pigeon dance. Try working on the flamingo. I hear that is his next move. It's gonna be killer."

"So what else will be wrong with our child?" I asked. "Other than having an Aunt Lilly?"

She gave me a half smile. "So you are really going to raise this kid?"

"Yup. Really gonna do it."

She threw a french fry at me (only at this diner can you get French fries at nine in the morning). "I'll be here to help you out."

* * *

It was late April. I had exactly three weeks before my graduation. I was done with finals (including a thesis which nearly made me not sleep for about two months), but was unable to get a flight to Genovia until the following week, which kind of pissed off Mia. I am NOT sorry about missing out on those crazy mood swings. Not that she doesn't have a right to be pissed at me. But it wasn't my fault. I can't afford to pay the airfare from this season. It's really stupid, one 'season' it is an insane amount, and the next, even if it is the next day, is drastically cheaper.

I stretched out on my bed as a knock came to my door. "Go away!" I screamed. The stress of final projects, my parents getting on me about graduation and missing Mia. Oh, and the fact that my parents think Alex and I are boyfriend and boyfriend.

"Moscovitz, someone is here for you!" a guy from down the hall yelled. I hardly ever speak to my neighbors so they think it's cool to call me by my last name. I really should have gotten to know these guys considering I am their resident advisor.

"Who?" I yelled back. I had no desire to see my family or even Alex at this point. I just wanted sleep. No one was worth losing my precious few hours I had before I was supposed to do some room inspections for my floor (you know, making sure they don't have drugs or paraphenilia, alcohol, or fire hazards). "Tell them to go away!"


	15. Bubbles

"She says she's not leave. Dude, a chick is here."

I opened one eye. "Who?"

I heard him ask her for a name.

"She says her name is Purple."

I jumped up and bolted to the door. I looked at her and pulled her by the wrist into my room. "Thanks, uh, Pete?"

"You got it right."

"See ya," I said quickly shutting the door.

Mia stood in front of me with a big smile on her face. "Hey."

I stared at her bulging stomach. She wasn't hiding it anymore behind heavy sweaters. She had a tank top with a little American Flag on it. "You shouldn't be flying in your condition."

She rolled her eyes and took my wrist and led me to my bed. I had been resourceful and took two twin beds and made them into a big bed. Did it really matter if the kid down the hall who showed up half way through the semester had a bed? I mean, _eventually_ we found one for him.

She plopped down onto the bed. "Be careful," I demanded. She did, after all, have precious cargo inside of her.

"Oh Michael, I've missed your protectiveness!" she gushed with a big grin. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

I knelt in front of her and placed my cheek on her belly. "You have no idea how good it is to see you. But what are you doing here? I mean, I was going to come to you I thought."

"Eh, _bad_ idea. Grandmere and I had a fight. She couldn't understand why I was getting so big and why I wouldn't wear any tight shirts. I explained, or tried to at least, that I found it degrading to women to wear them, and Evan agreed with me. She started swearing at me in French about how it's almost like I'm pregnant or something and that if that ever were to happen she'd find a way to take care of it. Take care of it? Like what, send a mafia hit man after me and my baby? Oh please! So I'm starting to think that telling her _isn't_ such a hot idea."

"So...she has an inkling?"

"No. I told her that I was just so happy with Evan that I was eating more than normal, you know like Daphne did on _Frasier_... But I've been hitting the gym so I don't gain too much. But enough to keep me and hte baby healthy. The doctor said it was okay. So, again, we're not telling Grandmere about it."

I took it all in pretty quickly. "Yeah, I would not think so....."

She nodded and squinted her eyes. "So there is basically ONE thing we can do."

"Run away and never come back?" I asked hopefully.

She gave me a skeptical look. "I talked to your uncle and he's agreed to help me give birth in a private setting....here in the city. He understands the privacy issue and offered to help me find an adoption serv-"

"What?" I snapped. She was not giving away our daughter. No. She couldn't.

"Let me _finish_," she said softly. "But I told him that you and Alex would be taking the baby for me. That you guys would raise her until I could explain the situation to my own family."

Be a single dad? Or wait, have a love child with a guy according to the public? Oh great. I love my kid, don't get me wrong, but I'd like it a whole lot more if it was with Mia. _Not_ Alex. He's a great guy, but come on….well, he _is _kind of maternal. And I have seen him change his niece's diapers with the speed of Bo jangles. I guess that could work.

She wasn't being fair to me. How could she just throw this on me like this? "Would she get to see her mother?" I asked softly.

She shook her head. "Not until the wedding. We are being risky right _now_. Anyone could put two and two together here. I'm not going to leave this room."

I put on a mischevious grin. "That's good because I wasn't going to let you," I said leaning up for a kiss. "How long are you staying?" I asked, standing up so I could lay in the bed.

"Until after the baby is born. I'll stay for a little while but then I have to go home."

"How are you going to explain this to your mom? I mean, you can stay in my dorms for now but when I graduate…"

"I am staying in Evan's apartment here. It's really incredibly out of the way so no one will notice me. You could stay there too."

The thought of being in that apartment with her was…I dunno. Weird. Being in his bed where he most likely slept with Alex? Okay, stop thinking about that Michael. _Stop it right now_.

"Yes. We can figure out all the details later on over some take out. But for now," I started as she laid back next to me. "I have to tell you about something I read."

"Oh?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"I read in the book that a woman's sex drive gets HUGE while she is pregnant. And I'm thinking that Evan just wasn't doing it for ya, was he?" I asked, referring to _What to Expect When Expecting, _my personal Bible

She shook her head and held back a laugh. "And?"

"And I'm thinking you must be ready to burst. And that it is healthy for you, and the baby," I said putting my hand on her belly, "That I ravish you properly."

She giggled. "I am kind of tired right now Michael. I'm sorry. I haven't been sleeping well at all."

I had read that insomnia was also part of pregnancy. I kissed her forehead. I had only been half serious about all that stuff. I hadn't even showered yet. "Okay. I'm going to the communal bathroom to shower. You will be okay in here?"

She nodded as she yawned. I kissed her nose and then got up to slip on my shower flip flops. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Ignore anyone at the door."

I walked out into the hall with only my towel around my waist to find thirty of my residents staring at my door. "Hey boys, is there a problem?"

They all looked at one another. "Um, that's the first chick you've had around all year. What gives?" Pete asked. He was clearly their leader.

"So? Why does something have to give?" I asked in return.

"Did you just bang her?" another guy asked.

Pete nudged him to shut up. "Well, Dave, it's Dave right?"

"Yeah."

"Um, I don't know about YOU, but it takes me a little longer than oh, ten minutes."

Everyone laughed a little. "But who is she? Who knocked her up? Is it yours?"

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, I was really going to tell these guys about my becoming a father. " She's an old friend, that's all," I replied as I continued on my way to the bathroom. "Do _not _touch my door," I said as I glanced back to see them slowly making their way to my door.

* * *

She made herself scarce as my parents helped me move my stuff out of the building. She had bought a wig and went shopping for the afternoon for baby clothes. She knew I wouldn't want to do it myself, and that I'd probably buy clothes for a two year old boy.

"Michael, why is there a bra here?" my mother asked after a box fell and tossed the contents out of it.

Lilly looked at me with wide eyes. She wasn't sure if I had cheated on Mia or if Mia was _here_.

"Oh, one of my residents had to hide it when his parents came over," I lied easily. "I just never remembered it."

She looked at me skeptically. "It's okay if you had a girl over," she said finally. "At least you aren't gay."

Lilly burst out laughing, but hid it by dropping something on her foot. My parents went over to check on her and I retrieved the black bra from the desk where my mom dropped it. I slid it into my pocket to return to Mia.

* * *

Mia and I spent some time in Evan's apartment, alone, during the week before my graduation. I played her her song. "I hear music helps the baby," Mia said, rubbing her belly.

I put my guitar down and started rubbing her swollen ankles. "I do what I can to make my women happy."

She smirked. "For a guy that doesn't play anymore you sound good still."

I sighed. It was true. I had left the band and focused my efforts elsewhere. "Is it that obvious that I don't play much?"

"Naw, you don't suck that-"

"What?" I asked as she grabbed my hand.

The baby was moving, quickly around. "What...how...what does it feel like?" I asked, "I mean, inside there?"

"Like bubbles," she said with a smile. "She finally let you catch her moving."

Our dear daughter had been avoiding me. Whenever Mia felt her moving and she told me the baby would stop moving. It was really weird...her little foot could be seen in outline on Mia's belly.

And you could now notice Mia's stomach. She didn't have to hide it anymore. It wasn't big like you see in movies. It was pretty small, she had started working out when she found out she was pregnant so no one could notice.

But there was a little bubble. And now she wore tank tops...not sweaters like she'd been wearing in Genovia.

"Hey, do me a favor," she said when the baby stopped her show.

"Anything."

"Make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"I thought pregnant women craved weird foods?" I asked as I got up to leave the room.

"With sliced pickles and bananas."

I turned to her, "You, my girl, are lucky I love you enough to deal with such a disgusting combination."

She just smirked, "You are lucky that I love you enough to suffer through hours of intense labor and being ripped apart to give birth to your child."

I noted her sarcasm and shook my head. "I don't need the mental picture."


	16. Early Graduation Present

Authors Note: Michael is graduating so he'll have some time to be with the baby before he has to go back to work. And yes, the pregnancy has gone by quickly but I still have Michael raising the baby for two years to write about. Think about it. Michael. Alone. A baby. Maybe he'll call up an old high school friend to move in and help him out. Then they'll carry on an affair and she'll get pregnant. 

Oh shoot, I'm thinking about Lucie's story. Just read it. This is a good one, I think.

* * *

"Michael?" a woman's voice asked me about a week later at the market.

I turned to see Miss Thermopolis.

"Oh, hi. Um, I gotta go-"

"Aren't you graduating tomorrow?" she asked as Rocky ran up to her with a candy bar.

"Mommy, can I?" he whined, holding up a Snickers bar.

"No, it'll rot your teeth out. Michael, have you heard from Mia?"

"No I haven't,' I said a bit too quickly. "I mean, not for awhile. Since like, Christmas time. Why? Something wrong?"

I tried to avoid her eyes. "It's just…her dad said she was coming to New York a few weeks ago and I still haven't heard from her. She didn't bring Lars or anyone else, well _Evan_ but that's it. No one has heard from him either."

"Evan?" I asked, pretending to remember who he was. "Oh, her new uh…boyfriend?"

"Oh please. I don't know. I personally think he's gay but I'm not judging. She says she's in love with him so…hey, who's the red head staring at you?"

I turned to Mia who was wearing a long red wig and a pair of sunglasses. She didn't look like herself. She had on globs of lipstick and tons of makeup.

"Oh, that's uh, Kate. My new girlfriend," I lied. Mia looked down quickly.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" she asked, staring at 'Kate'.

"I kind of…well, it's a little weird introducing my new girlfriend to my _ex girlfriend's mom_, ya know?"

She nodded, "Yeah, you are right. I'm sorry. It's nice seeing you again though. You look good. I'm sure Mia would love to hear from you…if _you_ could get in touch with her."

I looked over at 'Kate'. "I don't think Kate would like that very much. She knows how close Mia and I were so she'd be weirded out, ya know? She's not possessive, don't' get me wrong. It's just a little early in the relationship. Nothing solid just yet. Maybe when we are both a little more comfortable in a relationship I can introduce her to Mia. She knows about her and feels kind of…uh…bad because my ex is a real princess. So she feels like she can't compete ya know?" I knew I was blabbering, a habit picked up by none other than the princess herself.

"Right. I see. Well, good luck tomorrow. I know your parents are very proud- what is that on your neck?" she asked, looking at my chain.

"Oh, just nothing."

"Mia had that-"

"Fine, we gave each other chains before she left to remember one another by, okay?" I snapped before I stormed off. I hoped I portrayed the bitter ex boyfriend well.

* * *

"How is she?" Mia asked as we quietly walked back to Evan's apartment.

"Fine. Misses you though. Before you leave you should visit her."

"I feel like shit…keeping such a big secret from her," she said rubbing her stomach.

"It'll be fine," I promised, putting my arm around her. "I promise you baby…"

* * *

My cell phone rang really late in the night that night. I was still staying with my parents. I was 'leaving for a roadtrip' the next night…or just staying with Mia across town.

"Hello?" I asked groggily. I was still in my little dream about the Neverending Story.

"Michael…it's happening!" Evan's voice whispered. "She's going into labor!"

My eyes shot open. She wasn't due for another three weeks. This can't be good. What did the book say? "What? Are you fucking with me?"

"No…the stuff…uh…"

"Amniotic Fluid," I said standing up and looking for my jeans that were thrown thoughtlessly before I went to bed.

"Huh? What is it?" he asked sounding worried.

"It's where ya know…the baby pee and stuff."  
"I have _baby pee on my rug_?" he said sounding totally freaked out.

"Just forget the fact that it came gushing out from between Mia's legs," I snapped. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes, think she can handle that?" I asked.

"Uh…" he started before he muffled his voice. "She said she can hold off."

"Okay. I'll call my uncle. Stay with her," I said with authority.

I hung up and ran to Lilly's room as quietly as I could. "What?" she snapped, looking at her alarm clock. "A little excited about graduating?"

"She's having the baby. Come on and help me."

She threw a sweatshirt on and her Adidas sandals. We ran out without telling our parents where we were going or when we'd be back. I think I might be missing out on the graduation ceremony.

* * *

"Michael, I-I can't make it," she stammered.

"Uncle Dex is coming over," Lilly said softly. Seeing Mia for the first time in months…last time she saw her Mia was not visibly pregnant. A little shocking I guess to see the bubble belly. I hardly noticed it anymore since I'd had a few weeks to get used to it.

I looked around in case we had to deliver the baby on our own. I saw that Evan had a large bath tub. "Is that clean?" I asked, pointing to it.

He looked hurt that I even had the nerve to ask. "Of course it is. I haven't even taken a bath in it-"

"Good. Go fill it up with luke warm water. We'll put Mia in there. Lilly, you go wait for Dex downstairs. Mia let's get you out of these clothes."

She laughed, "Isn't that what got us here?"

I looked at her seriously. "Well, I am glad you still have your sense of humor."

She shrugged, "It's gonna happen either way, why not laugh?" Right after she said this she grimaced in pain and grabbed my hand and squeezed it tighter than ever before.

"The tub is full. This isn't going to destroy it? I _really_ was looking forward to a nice relaxing bath-"

"Shut up!" Mia screamed. Evan jumped back ten feet. "Get m

e in that fcking thing already."

Where was the humor in this? I lifted her up. Lord had she gotten heavy. And her nails had grown long…I know this because she was digging them into my neck. Her breathing became regular again. "I apologize," she said softly.

I suddenly wanted to be alone with her. "Evan, go see how Lilly i

s doing okay?"

He took my hint and scampered off.

* * *

"Scared?" she asked. 

I lowered her into the tub. "I'm not the one that has to do this. Do you want anything? Ice?"

She shook her head. "Just hold my hand." After a few minutes. "Michael, if anything goes wrong just take care of her, okay? Don't worry about me. Don't worry about Grandmere or Dad. Just take her away and don't look back. You won't need them."

I didn't like how she was talking. "Mia, knock it off. You are going to be fine and so is our baby." No we hadn't agreed on a name yet.

"I want her to be named Helen, but nicknamed Ella," she said with a pained look.

"How much time is between the contractions?" I asked looking at my watch.

"Six minutes," she replied.

"We still have a while to go," I replied.

"What, are you a doctor?" she snapped.

"No, but I've been doing research. "I know you don't want to hear some things but it'd better I say that than to say you are almost done."

"Just hold my f'ing hand," she snapped.

"Do you want some music?" I asked when that was over.

"Beatles. I have the-"

"Record in your duffel. I know."

She let me go for just enough time to put on an old record. "I wonder where they all are…" I said, getting no response. "So Ella"

"Yeah. Please, can we name her Helen? After my mom? But we can call her Ella…. Ella It's so feminine."

I liked the name actually. Better than anything else we had discussed. "Fine. I like it too baby. What about a middle name?"

"I was thinking Josephine after my grandfather."

"Ella Josephine Thermopolis Grimaldi Renaldo?" I asked.

"Moscovitz. Ella Josephine Moscovitz Grimaldi Renaldo," she corrected as Evan, Lilly and Uncle Dex came in with a bug full of his tools.

"Good, you have her in a birthing pool. Lilly go get some towels please."

I held Mia's hand as she looked at all of his medical tools. "Where exactly is _that_ going?" she asked.

He looked at her strangely. "It's just a letter opener that my wife threw in by mistake."

Mia's face was relieved. "How long do you think this is going to take?" she asked with a quivering lip.

"Well, let's take a look at how dialated you are.

He went right on down there. If he wasn't my uncle I think I woulda killed him. Or at least punched him. No wait, I was too freaked out to do a single thing. "So? The verdict?"

"This should be done soon."

Four hours later I was holding seven pound six ounce baby girl. After Dex cleaned off all the guck she was perfect. Mia and I sat next to one another…counting the fingers and toes. "She has ten little fingers," I said softly, near tears.

"Ten toes," Mia said excitedly.

"I'll be back in the morning to check on Mom, okay?" my uncle said patting me on the shoulder.

"Is everything okay? I mean, you don't need to check out Mia-"

"It went perfectly. She's an expert there. Best delivery I've done yet. I'll see you at your _graduation?"_

Reality struck me hard. "Oh, uh, well…"

"Michael, the kid isn't yours. Don't worry about it. I know you love her-"

"I'm not going. But don't tell anyone, please Dex?"

He sighed. He probably figured out the truth by now but didn't say anything. "Fine. But make an appearance won't you?"

"Yeah. I will," I said nodding. "I promise."

"She's perfect, guys," Lilly gushed.

Mia came out of the bath tub (we had emptied and then cleaned it and let her bathe). "I know," she said with a wide grin. I lifted her off the ground and carried her to her bed. "I think she has my nose, don't you Michael?"

"I hope so," I replied, locking eyes with my little girl.

"I'm back," Evan said coming into the room with a bunch of bags. Alex came in behind him. "What kind of diapers did you want?"

"Newborn," I replied, exasperated.

"Okay, but what brand? We didn't know so we got them all."

I laughed, "Thanks guys."

"Mia, are you going to breast feed?" Lilly asked bluntly.

Mia looked at me.

"I know Michael has nipples, but _he_ can't feed her when you leave."

"I don't think I can," Mia said softly. "I…"

Ella started screaming right on cue. "Here, give her to me," I said reaching for my baby.

Lilly handed her over reluctantly. "I'll get the formula…"

I sat on the bed with Mia, who looked exhausted, but happy. Odd, she looked like that eight months ago. I laughed at my comparison.

"What?" she asked. "Did she do something?"

"No…I'm just so happy," I said kissing the top of my exhausted wife's head.


	17. Summertime

Author's Note: I forget who said something about having to breast feed. You don't have to. I wasn't. None of my brothers or sisters were. Let me put it into perspective. If you HAD to breast feed, how would babies who's mom's die in labor be fed? Would children like Anna Moscovitz just starve? No. Formula works wonders.

JCVARTEN: I couldn't begin to tell you how many more chapters. I know that there is about 38 pages left according to my Microsoft word document. So more than half done.

Poisinibe: Of course I make things unpredictable. I'd be boring if you could guess. Duh!

Starlite..: I agree. Hymen is not a good name for ANYONE.

Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing. And just reading.

* * *

It was weird. We spent the rest of the day just looking at her and thinking everything was amazing. Even when she spat up. Or when she passed gas. We did freak out a little when we couldn't figure out how to make her stop crying. "Should we call a doctor?" Mia asked worriedly.

"Nah. She's gassy," I replied, stroking my daughter's cheek. "Not much we can do."

"I feel like I'm going to be judged on this. YOu know? Like if she cries too much the doctor will blame me."

I kissed her cheek as I held Ella. "No one blames you. I mean, she could just be colicy."

"Lemme hold her," she whispered.

I handed her the newborn and the bottle we were feeding her with.

All I can say is: Thank God For Alex. He knows everything about babies. He is the oldest of nine. Helped raise the younger ones.

"Hey Michael?" Mia said softly as Ella drifted back to sleep.

"Yeah?"

"Is it possible to love someone more than anything if you just met them?"

I smiled, "I think in this case that is totally possible."

Evan came in and took our first official family picture. "I look terrible," Mia whined.

"You look beautiful," I assured her. "I'm the one that hasn't shaven."

She smirked, "You are handsome when you don't shave. Rugged."

Lilly had gone home for a little while and told me how pissed my parents were. She told them I had gotten trashed the night before and hadn't made it back home. They'd still be pissed though. They paid for four years of an Ivy League school only to miss out on the pay off.

"Are they going to kill me?" I asked, looking back at Mia and Ella, both asleep in our bed.  
She shrugged. "Well, I told them I was dropping out of school to ease your pain."

"What did you tell them?"

"I dropped out of school completely to devote myself to make documentaries."

Yeah. Great. I'm so sure my parents were expecting to have their children to have a _secret_ baby with a _secret_ wife, and the other to drop out of her own ivy league school. On the outside we were good kids. Everyone else thought so.

I looked at Ella as she slept soundly in Mia's arms. What would she be doing in twenty two years, when she's my age?

Hopefully not having a baby. Or at least having a baby with a good guy.

* * *

The next few months of summer were amazing. Alex and I moved into an apartment in Brooklyn and Mia moved in with us for the rest of her time in New York. We made one corner of my room into a mini nursery for Ella.

That was the most amazing summer of my life. Ella had a really strong personality. She was the happiest baby I'd ever seen. "She totally looks like you," I said to Mia while we were walking Ella through our neighborhood.

Mia, dressed in baggy sweatpants and a long sleeve t-shirt and her red wig, replied, "Do you think people will catch onto that?"

"Nah. She's still young. Maybe she'll get better looking," I teased. Which got me an elbow into my ribs. "Just kidding. You know you are the most beautiful woman in the entire world"

She smirked, "Two more years and we'll get to spend all of our summers just like this."

"Like this?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah. Maybe we can have a place in New York. You can keep working...and Ella and I will meet you for walks when you get out just like we do now."

"You think we'll get to stay here a little?"

"I might have a nice little place for us," she joked. "I'd love to live like this. Together. The three of us. But by then she'll be too old to be pushed in the stroller..."

It was a weird reality we were going to live in. Mia would see Ella as a three month old, and then as a walking talking toddler. "Nah. I think toddlers still get pushed around."

"She'll be so old..."

We stopped at a bench and looked at Ella. I put my arm around Mia. "Let's just enjoy her now," I replied.

* * *

We "Remember, she likes the pink fleece blanky," Mia instructed the night before she was due to go home. "And if she's having trouble sleeping just sit in the lazy boy and rock her back to sleep and sing to her. She really likes _Bye Bye Bye_."

"What?" I snapped. "You exposed her to _N Sync_?"

She gave me a look. "Yes. Deal with it. If you take her outside make sure you put sunscreen-"

"Mia, I'm not an idiot. I have been a parent just as long as _you_ have been."

"But you go to work all day long and get out of this apartment. I stay here with her."

"And that's MY fault?" I snapped.

She put her hands on her face and started crying. I looked down at sleeping Ella, and then wrapped my arms around Mia. "I'm sorry baby."'

"No…you don't have to be. I do though. I am deserting you with her…who is going to watch her?"

"Lilly," I replied. My sister was taking the third room of the apartment now that she was out of school. The deal was that she could live here free if she watched Ella when Alex and I were at work.

"Okay…" she said looking around the room we had made our own. She wiped away her tears and went back to business. Organizing. Making sure none of Ella's clothes were with hers. Her grandmother would find that out and realize what was going on. If she hadn't already.

"I can't believe we lived only blocks away from my parents and they don't know," I said looking at a picture of my parents with Ella. They'd met her. I had told them that Alex and I adopted a baby to solidify our relationship.

"They think she's Alex's and your's?" she asked, straightening the bed.

"Right. Little do they know they are holding their oldest, well, only biological grandchild."

Mia sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around again. I knelt in front of her. "I have something for you."

She looked confused. "What?"

"This is your home," I replied. "New York that is. I know how much you miss it so…" I said taking a snow globe with the Statue of Liberty from under the bed. "Take this and think of me and Ella."

She smiled and let the tears flow freely down her cheeks. "I'm going to miss you so much," she said wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Look in the base," I whispered. I noticed that we whispered a whole lot more so we wouldn't bother Ella.

She twisted the bottom off and revealed a picture of Ella and her at the park. "Oh Michael…."

"I'll send new ones all the time," I promised.

"I won't see her grow up," she said between sobs. "She'll say her first words and walk and I will be back in Genovia putting on an act with Evan. I won't find out about her first words or steps until days later. By the time I see her again everything will be old news."

"Alex, Lilly and I will always have a camera on the girl at all times, I promise baby," I promised. That was the best I could do. "Hell, maybe we'll just install a camera right in that corner so you can watch as I attempt poorly at three AM feedings."

She giggled, "I don't think that's necessary. But thanks for the offer."

"Hey guys, not to interrupt or anything, but do you want me to take Ella for a walk or something?" Lilly asked, knocking on the door.

I looked at Mia with relief. "Yes, thank you," Mia said softly as Lilly made a beeline for the baby. "I'll take her through the park or something," Lilly said lifting up her niece. "Well be back in an hour or two."

I kissed Ella goodbye and so did Mia. "See you soon baby," she said softly. This would be one of the last times she saw Ella for a couple of years.

After they left I turned to my wife. This was actually the first time since before Ella was born that we'd been completely alone. "You know, we _totally_ passed our anniversary and your birthday without notice."

She offered a half smile. "I know. It's not a big deal to me though. Just _being_ with you is celebrating enough."

She stood up and went to fix the curtain, but I stopped her. "Mia, forget the curtain," I whispered huskily into her ear. "I'm right here in front of you."

She half smiled, "So do I get to do what I want to you?"


	18. but the Livin' aint easy

An hour later we laid in bed, I didn't want to stop touching her skin because who knew when the next time I'd touch that softness again (no, not skin in naughty places, just like her arm and her face...dirty minds)? She continuously forked her fingers through my hair. "I can't believe I am leaving you guys tomorrow," she said softly, staring at me.

"It'll go by quickly," I replied. I was still amazed how we had pulled it all off. I mean, getting married in secret is one thing, but having a baby?

"She'll be almost two next time I see her," she replied. "She'll be walking around saying 'Da Da'. She won't know me. I'm missing out on so much."

"Not on the potty training," I said with a laugh. It is hard to believe there will be a day where I won't be changing her poopy diapers.

She smiled, "Oh, you don't want to do that yourself?"

"I think I'll skip that," I replied. "I think it's more of a mother thing."

"You won't let her forget me, right? I mean, the first few years is when you develop true relationships and-"  
"Never. We'll talk about you all the time. Like, almost like you were just out at the market or something. And you'll send us videos. Teach her French and junk"

She smirked, "I don't want her to think that Lilly is her mom."

"She won't."

"Good."

"Good. Did the door just open?"

"Lill?" I called out.

"Yeah, we're home!" she called back.

"We'll be right out!" I yelled. I quickly threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt while Mia put on a sundress.

"You all packed?" I asked.

"Yeah, basically. Evan will be by tonight to get my stuff. Then we're flying out at seven in the morning."

We both had the good and bad points of where we were going to be. For one thing, I would be with our daughter and she'd know me very well. But Mia got to be off in Genovia and be young and carefree...or at least got to act like it. She'd keep her family happy for the moment.

Meanwhile, I was going to be juggling a full time job and a baby and had to face a rumor of my homosexuality. Nice huh?

She'll have to be away from her daughter though. From her new family. From Me. She will have to deal with her grandmother forcing a marriage to Evan.

"Grandmere will be happy that my body is back to normal," Mia said finally as me, her, Lilly and Ella sat down for dinner (well, Ella was in her portable bassinet next to us).

"Yeah, you look even better than before," Lilly replied. "You really toned that stomach up."

I laughed, "Glad you noticed Lilly."

She shrugged. "Well it's true."

"You don't think she'll suspect?" Mia asked nervously.

I shook my head. "You and Evan have an airtight story. The two of you had a love nest out in Montana on a ranch. She won't even consider asking questions. By working on a ranch you would clearly be working out."

She looked at Ella. "I'll miss her so much. Think she'll remember me?" she asked for the thousandth time.

"Mia, we won't let her forget you. I mean, she has no memory skills right now, but we'll tell her all about you. She'll feel like she knows you," Lilly replied. "Did you two want to be alone with her tonight? Or _alone_ alone?"

I looked at Mia. It was up to her.

"If you wouldn't mind Michael, I'd like to be with Ella for a little while," Mia said softly.

"No problem. I believe I have a date with the two most beautiful women in the world," I said kissing her cheek.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Okay, I have a date tonight."

Mia raised a brow, "Oh? Who is it?"

"You wouldn't know him," she said quickly getting up and taking her plate to the sink.

"Lilly..." I said slowly.

"Okay, his name is Rivers. Okay? Happy now?"

"Like in Pheonix? Or in Cuomo?" I asked.

She glared at me. "Yeah, I have a date with a dead guy and a member of Weezer," she snapped.

"No need to be so touchy," I replied sarcastically.

"No, he's in a really really super underground band."

"Super?" Mia asked skeptically. Lilly never uses such language.

"Well, no one really knows about it so yeah. They play in a few clubs in the city and well, he's great. He's a great guy."

"Wait, Rivers Summerton?" I asked.

She looked at me in shock, "How do you know his last name?"

"I've heard them before. I thought they were all...you know, old."

"He's amazing and I don't _care_ how old he is!" she said storming out.

"How old?" Mia asked carefully.

"Like, forties, late."

Her mouth dropped in shock, "Well, no wonder we haven't met the guy."

"And she has a little diaper rash so make sure you use the ointment the doctor gave us, okay?" Mia asked as Evan waited for her downstairs. "And she has another appointment on September fourth so make sure you get her there by five, okay?"

I bit my lip. She had a whole list of reminders for me that were only distracting her from her own feelings. "And no matter what, do not let Lilly give her ice cream. She's not old enough yet."

I nodded. "Bye baby..."

Her lip gave into the quiver she'd been fighting. "I love you Michael...so much more than I could ever explain. How am I supposed to live the next two years without you?"

"Only one year and nine months," I replied.

She smiled a little. "I love you...I just don't know what else to say to you," she said thoughtfully. "I just can't believe I won't see this face for almost two years."

"MIA!" Evan yelled up the stairs.

"COMING!" she called back. She took one last look at me, then at Ella and walked away. I could hear her crying as she walked down the hall.

"Say bye to Mommy," I said softly to Ella. She just stared at me.

"Looks like it's you and me kid," I mumbled.

She responded by spitting up. Yeah. Two years left of spitting up to look forward to. Woot.

"Moscovitz, I need that data by five," my boss said, sticking her head into my cubicle.

"Yes, Sarah. I know," I said slowly. I was uploading some pictures of Ella for Mia. "I almost have them all."

"Who is the adorable baby?" she asked, her tone softening.

Okay. You've practiced this before.... "She's my friend's baby."

"How sweet! Those chubby cheeks are adorable," she cooed.

I nodded, "Yeah, her mother was like that when she was a baby." I thought about the picture I had of Mia when she was four months old. Her mom gave it to me when we were younger. Mia was in the South of France with her father and one of his old girlfriends. Then there was another up close shot of her crying her eyes out.

"Your friend is the mother?" she asked.

"Yeah, _best friend_," I replied. I was not technically lying to her. "But I'm taking care of her for her. I'm in the process of adopting her," I lied. I needed to. Ella would be on my taxes as a dependent.

Her eyes widened. "Single parenthood?"

"Yeah, well, I have some friends helping me out with it. I'll be fine."

"It's kind of sexy. Anytime you need a babysitter....you know when you go out on dates or whatever, let me know. I have a niece who is wonderful with children. You do date don't you? Or do you have a girlfriend?"

Geez, don't come on too strong. "I'm not seeing any women right now," I said. "I'm focusing on my career and on Ella."

"That's a pretty name."

"Thanks. I'll get right to work on those figures for you."

"She won't stop screaming!" Alex yelled. We were standing above Ella.

"I don't know what the hell to do!" I said back to him. "I've changed her diaper twice, fed her, rocked her, sang Bye Bye Bye (with the dance moves done by the two of us. He knew them. I only knew the hand motion to say bye bye) to her....nothing is working."

"Check her temperature," Alex said handing me a thermometer. It was the type you put in the child's ear, very difficult with a squirming four month old.

"Ninety eight point three. _Normal_," I replied.

"She probably just misses Mia," Lilly said coming into the room. "I mean, Mia was the one who always put her to sleep. And have you two bozo's noticed that she is only difficult around this time?"

I looked at Alex. Lilly had a point. But what to do? Then I remembered a video of me and Mia that Lilly made when they were fifteen and I was almost nineteen. I slipped it into the VCR and slowly Ella stopped crying and screaming. She liked hearing Mia's voice.

Come to think of it, so did I.


	19. Hey, Flirt With Me

Author's Note: Not that this is over or anything but I wanna let you know that I'm going to be posting a story in the 'R' section...not now...but probably in Decemberish. It's a long one. One that you all will hate me at first. Then the second part you might like me. Then hate me. We'll have a love hate relationship. . A really awesome bi-atch is going to be reminding you about this so I'm just giving a head's up.

Yeah. I'm procrastinating. Psychology exam in the AM.

**LM: I've started a story based on that song as you suggested. Including quite a few 'choice' scenes. You wanna see it? You know what you must do.

* * *

**

_Mia- Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving...it wasn't the same without you around. We both miss you too much!_

_-HRH_

_ PS:_ J'avais pris un cours français en ligne ainsi je peux enseigner Ellapendant qu'elle grandit. Comment est-il ? Grandmere approuvé ? I wrote in French here to show my new language skills. I had taken a course when I was a lot younger and remembered some of it. I just told her that i was talking a course online so that I could make sure Ella knew a language spoken in her home country. Also, wondered if Grandmere would approve of it 

We only wrote short letters to one another. Anything else would be said when we finally saw one another. We weren't drifting apart, mind you, just were both trying to cope with the distance. I didn't want her to know exactly how stressful living with Ella was. How uncomfortable I was going out and buying new clothes for a little girl. What di I know anyways?

Case and Point:

Alex and I took Ella to the Baby Gap. I hated this place, but considering they don't make vintage t-shirts in baby sizes I thought this would be a good logical place to go. Besides, I think she'd look adorable in a pink jumper. _Yes, I just said that so you can stop laughing at me right now. I said adorable._

My kid will be the best dressed baby at day care on the two days she is there. I'd dress her like the princess she really was. Not that anyone actually knew that she had a royal bloodline...or that she is the future ruler of a small European principality. I'm sure after everything comes out these little teachers will do interviews and say they knew they recognized Ella, which is impossible, but you know how people are.

Thanksgiving ......

Alex and I took her to my parents apartment for a family dinner (Lilly went over Rivers's place because my parents didn't like her life choices at the moment, I'm staying out of it).

"Michael, what is really going on here?" my mother asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I tested Ella's formula on my arm.

"Where is she from? Who is her mother?"

I told my parents that the adoption story I gave them was a lie. That Alex and I weren't just trying to solidify our relationship. BUt that I did in fact father the child. That the mother was some exchange student from my time in Spain. She didn't want the baby so she left her with me. That's why I wasn't at graduation. They understood after that. Not happy that I had a baby out of wedlock, but glad that I was taking responsibility for my actions.

"You don't know her."

She studied my face. "How long did you know her?"

"Well...I dunno. It...Mom, I don't want to talk about Ella's mother. It was really a messed up situation."

She took my hand, " It's perfectly fine with your father and I...you know, that you and Alex are together like this.... We just want to know."

"Mom...I'm in a weird spot right now. Can you just be happy for me?"

She smiled. "Fine. I hope everything works out for you honey."

* * *

So from there on in everyone thought I was gay. So I played the part, why not? I mean, Alex wanted to piss off his parents and prove to them that he could have a fulfilled life without a woman. But he couldn't introduce them to Evan considering he was still in the closet, so I took his place. Just like Alex took Mia's place and Evan took mine. We just swapped partners. Sick homo/hetero spouse swap (they were practically married).

At _work_, however, people still saw me as totally hetero. Alex and I worked together, but didn't act any different than we usually did. I mean, we were best friends and all, but we had to act professional. We never talked about Ella or Mia or Evan. Only work stuff. Everyone figured we were friends considering how often we had to work on projects together.

"Moscovitz," one of my co-workers, Rodney, said motioning for me to join him in the kitchen of the office.

"Yeah?"

"I have a favor to ask you, what are you doing tonight?"

I shrugged. Probably was going to hit the gym. I'd leave Ella in the babysitting room of my gym while I did five miles on the treadmill. "I'm going to the gym and hanging out with my daughter."

"Daughter?"

I had never called Ella my daughter to my co-workers, only to the higher ups that needed to know. Always just referred to her as the little girl I was taking care of to those I saw on a daily basis. But she deserved more than that. "Yeah. I adopted."

"Why the hell would you do that?"

Now that is not his business. "Because I wanted to. Why should you care? It's _my_ life."

"Well, you know Sara Beth from the accounting department, right?"

I didn't like where this was going. "Yeah."

"I'm taking her out tonight, but she only agreed to come with me if I got you to go on a date with her friend Katie. Come on, we'll double. Katie has had the hots for you since you started back in September."

I sighed. "I'm seeing someone right now. Her name is Ella, she's great. Sorry."

"Ella? No man, that's cool. What's she like?"

I smiled, "She's perfect. I completely adore her," I said, not exactly lying. Only telling the half truth. "Blonde hair, blue eyes..."

"How old is she? Is she from college or what?"

"No. She's a little younger than me."

"Hmm, well, good luck with that. What about your friend Alex? Is he seeing someone?"

How did he not see that Alex was gay? I mean, the man coordinates his socks with his ties. "He's kind of seeing a guy right now."

"He's a _butt pirate_?" he said, shocked.

I laughed, "He is a homosexual, yes. I don't think 'butt pirate' is really PC." Alex and I always joked around with homosexual names. I sometimes called him mo, and he called me ho. Cuz I'm such a ho. A big time manwhore. The original.

"Oh, sorry. But I'm just surprised. I mean, he totally....I don't know. You guys are best friends aren't you?"

"Yeah. We share an apartment," I replied pouring a cup of coffee.

"So isn't that a little weird for you? Does he bring his boyfriend over a lot?"

"Not really. I mean, he's just my friend. It wouldn't be weird if like, a girl friend had a guy coming over. It isn't different really."

"You don't hear them...you know, going at it, do you?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. We do have some decency."

"How the hell am I going to get Sara Beth to go on a date with me?"

I shrugged. "Why bother if she isn't interested in going on a solo date?"

"Good point, but I wouldn't mind banging her. Isn't she hot? I mean, I know you have that Ella chick, but Sara is a good piece of ass."

I shrugged. "I'm almost positive you aren't supposed to be saying that at work. Isn't it sexual harassment?"

"Yeah, like anyone pays attention to that?"

"Whatever. I have to get back to work. You should consider that as well," I replied.

"Maybe. I'll see you later man."

I went to the gym that night and did some running and lifted weights for a few minutes. The babysitter had me paged because Ella needed a diaper change. "I only see you bring her in here, what about your wife?" the young babysitter asked. When I say young, I am saying probably about a twenty year old girl. Even if that is only two years younger than me it seems like decades.

I shrugged. "She's busy at work," I replied. Not a lie.

"Oh, you are married?" she asked. "I didn't see a ring."

"Then why did you ask about my wife?" I said, sounding more harsh than I intended.

"Do you just have custody?" she asked, batting her eyes. "I think it's really hot for a guy so young-"  
"Who are you exactly?" I asked. "I mean, you are asking really personal questions."

"Sorry...it's just...well, you've been coming in here a lot. And you used to come in with some girl over the summer. I thought you were with her...but now you don't. So I was thinking maybe you were single again?"

What the hell? Do I have a stamp on my forehead asking people to flirt with me? "I'm not seeing anyone right now," I replied. That was the truth. Mia was in Genovia so literally I was _not _seeing her.

"Ella is your daughter, right?" she asked carefully.

"Look, her...it's none of your business." I made a mental note not to bring Ella to the gym anymore. Then I wouldn't have to interact with the babysitters. I mean, I COULD get her fired, but that'd be uncool having a twenty year old gym babysitter fired. I'd really be da man if I did that.

"Sorry....it's just, I kind of like you...."

"You don't know me," I snapped. "Sorry, but I got to go."


	20. Go Get A Hobby

_**Author's Note: It's that time again kids. We have to topple the Evil Empire. Vote Red Sox '04. I predict we have it in six games. They won't beat us at Fenway. If they do there may be riots. Their bus may be pushed over with them in it. **_

_**If you haven't guessed who the 'their' is, it is the Yankees. The snobby-greedy-can't have beards because Georgie won't let them Yankees. Can you believe that? The owner won't let them have facial hair or to do fun stuff with their hair. It's nuts. Take a look at the Red Sox. We have afros, Jesus hair, corn rows (which is really terrible, if he were my husband I would smack him). We are just the funner, better pitching, better hitting team. We will defeat them. Sorry to any Yankee fans out there. We'll take them in SIX games if not sweep them. (take that Regis Philbin)**_

_**Okay, enough with my baseball rant. Get used to it for the next few weeks. Seriously. Also, I must give props to the 4-0 Patriots, they've won 19 in a row. How much does that rock? It does. A lot. I smell a repeat. **_

_**On another note, go see I 3 Huckabees. You'll fall in love (with Jason) and question what the hell life means. I plan on seeing it again. Oh, lemme guess, you wanted to read a story right? Okay, it's below. Read it. Review it. You know you wanna. **_

_**And pray for the Sox. If they win I am in a good mood. If I am in a good mood I update. Bad moods make me go to bed early. They make me angry an uninspired. **_

_**PS: Ned Brower on Dawson's Creek made me enter a good mood. "You sit in row C seat ten." **_

_**Joey: "What?"**_

_**Ned: "Everyday you sit in row C, seat ten. God, you probably think I'm a stalker." **_

**_Wouldn't mind Ned stalking me. But for now Robert and Louie stalking me is okay. Now go read._**

I hated girls that were forward like that girl. What makes her think I'd be interested?

"Michael, she sees you all sweaty and probably watches you when you change from your sweaty t shirt to your clean one. She probably thinks she knows you pretty well," Alex explained. "Hey, do you have the figures on the Henderson account?"

"On my desk. I'll give them to you later. Ella is sleeping."

"Oh, I got an e-mail alert today about a sale at the gap. That dress you wanted to buy her for Hanukkah is on clearance now. Did you want me to order it or go there tomorrow during lunch maybe?"

The phone rang before I could answer him. "'Ello?" I asked.

"Michael?" a voice asked.

"You got him, who is this?"

"It's George McCartney. Remember me?"

"Yeah, from the band. What's up?"

"We're in a bind. Think you could help us out?"

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Our lead singer just dropped out again. We need your help."

I had missed playing. I had thought about starting up a band, but with Ella and Mia I never got around to it. "I don't know...when do you need to know?"

"No rush. We just want to get a steady gig you know? Like back when we were in college. Just something to do. We signed a contract to play at the Crowe's Nest on Friday nights starting in January so..."

"I'll call you back tomorrow, okay? What is your number?"

I took his number down and looked at Alex. "Who was that?" he asked, doing his crunches on the living room floor.

"George McCartney, from my old band. They want me back."

"So? Do it. You need something to do. I can watch Ella. So can Lilly."

"It's a big decision. It'd take up a lot of time..."

"So?"

"What about Ella? I mean, between work and rehearsal time I'd never see her-"

"Bring her with you, or see her afterwards. A lot of people do it."

"But not every little girl has a mother in a totally different country who cannot acknowledge her existence. She needs her father around her more often."

"You need a hobby. Go ahead now. It won't be every night anyways. Go ahead. You need an outlet. Call him right back and say yes. Or I will for you."

I bit my lip. I hated making major decisions like this so rashly. "Fine. I'll do it. I'm a bit out of practice though. And only until they can find someone else."

"Yeah, whatever. Call him right back now."

So I did. I just told him I'd meet him and the other guys at eight o'clock the next night.

"Hey boys," Lilly said, coming into the room.

"Oh, hey, you just get in? I didn't hear the door," I said in greeting.

"Yeah. Rivers was being kind of immature."

"Yeah, midlife crisises can do that."

She rolled her eyes. My cracks about his age no longer mattered to her. "No, he wants to get married."

Alex and I both stopped what we were doing (him doing crunches and me snacking on some bugles....so much for that work out huh?). "Married?" I asked carefully.

"Yeah. I mean, seriously. We've only been together for like, five months. I do not plan on marrying him."

"Why are you with him then?" Alex asked, continuing his work out.

"Well, the sex is pretty gr-"

"Lilly stop now," I interrupted. "Just say he has a great personality."

She rolled her eyes. "He has a great personality. A REALLY great personality. But it's over."

"Good to hear," I said happily. Now my folks wouldn't be on me so much about dating.

"Yeah well, whatever. Is Ella asleep?"

"Yeah. I put her down a little while ago."

"Good. I'm going to bed. I have work early in the morning."

"Yeah, those coffee's don't wait on anyone. Better not be late," I teased her job at Starbucks terribly. "Don't forget to drop Ella off with Maya."  
"Will do Big Brother. Oh, I grabbed the mail while I was downstairs. Someone got a package."

I took a big envelope from her. I saw Mia's neat handwriting. She could send stuff directly now because the apartment was in Alex's name so her grandmother would never know.

_Michael- How is Ella? I hope the colic has cleared up. What did Dr. Rosen say about it? I made a video for her to watch when she goes to bed, but the second part is for your eyes only. I only hope this tape doesn't get lost in the mail or it'll end up on all the news channels. _

_Grandmere is happy with me now. She thinks that my summer holidays in the States re-freshed me enough to live the life she has planned for me. Funny huh? She has me modeling some clothes this winter for a benefit...that is the only reason I agreed of course. Money is going toward cancer research._

_And Evan has been absolutely wonderful! HE's been supporting me completely. He could be an actor almost! The way he dotes on me makes me think of you and how much you sucked up to me after we got back together, remember you actually thought you had to suck up to me? Hehe, well, it makes me miss you. The way you would simply put her hand on my waist to let everyone around that I was with you and only you. And I miss seeing you attempt to change Ella's diapers, but I am sure you are now an expert in the art of diaper changing. How is she? Is she happy? Does she really miss me? I wish I could sneak over, but it is too risky. I have to find some way to see my daughter. I cannot possibly go this long without seeing her. She won't recognize me when I finally do see her. I mean, I'm just seen on TV, like Big Bird is. She'd freak if she saw Big Bird, right?_

_I have Grandmere believing in me and Evan. Hell, I almost believe it myself! I mean, if I weren't me and weren't completely one hundred percent in love with my husband. Then I would think that Evan would be a lovely match. _

_Don't I sound so formal? Ugh, I promise when we talk next I will be a big blabber mouth. Which reminds me (our next meeting that is), I spoke to a priest today during confession. He's really cool, you'll love him. He thinks our story is so sad, and he feels terrible for little Ella. He has agreed to marry us, and is going to visit New York in the spring to meet with you and start with your conversion. He asked me if you truly wanted to convert or if you were simply doing it to marry me. I chose to keep my mouth shut on that one. I don't honestly think you care that much, but he does. It's going to be hard. You REALLY have to want to do this. But the only way you can fully be married in the Catholic church is if you are Catholic. If we are going to pull this off then you have to do this. I'm sorry, it's terrible isn't it? And another thing, we have to have Ella baptized as soon as she is over here. _

_I'm sorry, I'm sounding awfully bossy aren't I? Well, it's just...you see, Evan and I were talking and we are going to have to get engaged eventually and you have to be a few steps ahead of us ya know? I just hope you don't hate me in the end of all this. _

_Is there anything new in your New York non-Mia life? Any cute girls hitting on you? If so please don't tell me. I think I might forget the whole secret thing and go over and tell them to keep their grimy mitts off my husband. _

_You know, I wear my rings every day. Grandmere never sees them though. She'd wonder why I still wore them if I was with Evan. No, they are around my neck on a chain. But when I wear lower cut blouses (sorry sweetheart, but I do), I hide them in a little pouch I have sewn into my shirts (I've learned to sew, aren't I so domestic?). I'll be sending your gifts for Hanukah soon. I love you both so much!_

_-Purps_

_Mia-_

_Ella is looking more and more like you every day! Her hair is growing back now, and I think she's getting a tooth. Can you believe it? Something we made has a tooth coming in! The doctor says its normal, so there is nothing wrong with it. Dr. Rosen said that she is in perfect health and doesn't have to see her for another three months for a check up. I'll be sure to watch your video tonight when I go to bed. _

_What I really miss is holding you while we are both asleep. I mean, we aren't conscious of the act, but when we wake up like that it's so great. And talking to you right before bedtime...could there be anything better? I love hearing about your crazy days. I miss talking to you about Ella every night. Arguing over who's turn it is to stay awake with her. Making plans for the next day._

_I can hardly believe it is almost Christmas time in New York and there is no Mia Thermopolis here to poke fun at the tourists with. OR to trip the skaters at Rockerfeller Center. I don't even have a Mia Renaldo handy to do that. _

_My life huh? One of the girls who baby sit for Ella at the gym asked me about my wife and said that she was interested. I've made a mental note to leave Ella with my mom or with Alex and Lilly when I go to the gym, oh and to change my shirt in the locker room. I am re-joining my old college band. I just got off the phone with George before I got the mail from you. It'll be long days but anything to keep my mind off of missing you. _

_Ella misses you more than I would have ever imagined. I mean, that old tape is almost all worn out, thank very much for sending a new one. She'll love it I'm sure. She's asleep right now though. I don't see what is so comforting about the video where you are screaming at Lilly to stop taping you. She's an odd duck, no? No, she's our daughter. Here are some pictures of her on Santa's lap, yes, and I am sitting there with her so she wouldn't cry. Don't you love the expression on her face? She's like "What the hell is going on? Why is a man in a creepy red suit holding me and saying ho ho ho?"_

_She's going to be brilliant Mia. I know it. She almost seems like she is listening to conversations now. Is that normal? What is normal for an almost six month old? I better go if I want to watch the Mia video. I love you babe._

_-HRH_

I walked into my room and popped her tape into my VCR. "Hey guys," she said cheerfully. "It's Mommy... or Mia. Whatever...." Then she proceeded to sing Ella a few lullabies. She has a pretty good voice, doesn't really give herself any credit for it to be honest with you.

But then it was my turn. She basically said all the things she couldn't write in a letter. She said more personal things. I loved seeing her facial expressions. I missed those darn things. And how she would realize that she was just blabbering or talking too fast and she'd stop herself. It was really adorable how sweet she looked. I very suddenly wanted to just lay in bed with her and hold her close to me.

And speaking of her looks. She let her hair grow insanely long, and has dyed it very dark. What happened to my blonde little wife?

"_I guess my hair is a bit of a surprise huh? Well, Grandmere is driving me nuts by acting so damn happy about my conforming so I decided to do something different. I decided to dye my princess-blonde locks black. Does it look terrible? I gotta go. Evan and I are going to a dinner in France tonight. I'll be waiting for your letter!" then she blew me a kiss._

I looked over at Ella. Would I rather be at some stupid dinner in France than here with her sleeping so soundly? No. There is no where else in the world I'd rather be.


	21. Birthdays

"Michael, can you keep your kid quiet for fifteen minutes?" Paul asked as he scribbled on his music.

I looked at him apologetically. They never bothered to ask me where I got a kid, but made it clear that she couldn't interfere with the music. "Sorry, Alex backed out today. He was going to meet up with his...friends. Or something," I lied. He was meeting Evan at the Plaza for a quiet dinner. Evan was in town for a meeting concerning the trade policies of the United States.

"Ella, please be quiet for Daddy...please," I whispered as she drifted back into sleep. I placed her carrier in a room away from the rehearsal.

"Sorry about that guys..."

"No worries," John said in a mellow tone. "They want us to do some cover songs," he announced.

It was only one week until our big debut at the club. I had been finding the guitar to be similar to a bicycle, you never really forget how to do it. "What is the set list?" I asked picking up my guitar.

"We're going to do some Maroon 5, Weezer, we'll mix it up with a bunch of things."

And this explains why I was singing _This Love_ to a huge drunken crowd. One man thought he could sing better than me so he stood up on stage and started butchering the song. I stood back and let him make a fool of himself and laughed at him. My bandmates thought it was priceless.

But as he was singing about the love taking its toll on him I noticed two men walking into the room. Alex and Evan. I gave Alex a look asking where Ella was.

I nodded to my bandmates and hurried offstage to ask quickly.

"Where is she?"

"She's with Lilly. Now that Lill has no man she stays in on Friday nights."

"Looks like you've been replaced," Evan teased.

I shrugged. "Okay, whatever. Bye boys."

"So how is she?" I asked Evan later that night.

"Happy on the outside," he started, "But clearly miserable on the inside. She's insanely jealous that you are with _Ella_ all the time. And that Ella gets to be with _you_ all the time. She wants to cry every time she kisses a babies cheek; imagining what her little girl is doing at the time."

"Probably pooping," Alex replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Did she have a good Christmas? How'd she like the charm I sent her?"

"Yes and yes. She had it put on right away. We pretended I gave it to her, and that she gave me the claddagh ring that Alex sent over."

Alex beamed.

"And she says that she wishes she could be here for your birthday tomorrow."

Is it bad that I forgot it was my twenty third birthday the following day? "Oh, right. That does sort of suck."

"But I told her I'd give you a nice little kiss for her."

I rolled my eyes. "No thanks. I'll wait it out a bit longer."

He looked at Alex. "I'm getting a little tired, you?"

Alex faked a yawn, "Totally. Good night, Michael."

"Keep it down will you?" I asked, "Not only do I not wantto hear it, but I don't want to have Ella wake up. Which reminds me. Where is my sister?"

"Oh, she told me she was going to see an old friend for some drinks," Alex replied.

I thought about any 'old friends' she had...there was Shameeka who was in California...Tina who was currently going to school in D.C...Kenny who...well, let's face it, wasn't all that close to her....and...wait...Boris? "She didn't say who?"

"Nope. They were going to that place that doesn't card the young'ins," Alex said with a roll of his eyes.

"Not, Boris?"

"Yeah, that's it," Evan said. "She said something and I thought of Boris and Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle."

I smiled. Evan was a nice enough guy. "That's her first boyfriend. I didn't know he was still around here."

"Boris Pelkowski?" Evan asked, looking at the arts and entertainment section of the paper.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"  
"He's performing tonight and tomorrow night at Radio City. You do know that he's huge over in Europe, right? He has a CD out and everything."

I shrugged. "No. Never really thought about him much after the girls and him graduated. He and Lilly broke up and didn't talk. This was an interesting turn of events. "Oh, I see. Well...I'm gonna go to bed. Talk to you boys later."

And that was my life. I would rush to work in the morning with dark circles under my eyes, rush to band rehearsal, rush home to feed and play with Ella. Nothing too spectacular really.

The best kinds of days were in the spring though. Then the sun was out longer so I could take Ella for long walks when I got home. She'd visit with my parents (who I think figured out that she was mine, but not who the mother was), and sometimes spent the night with them.

"How is Alex?" my mother asked one night when I was taking Ella to stay with her.

"He's great," I said with a smile.

"Are you two still....because I was thinking, why not move to Massachusetts?"

I gave her a weird look. "Huh?"

"They are letting homosexual couples mar-"

"Mom, let's not look too far into the future, okay?" I said, trying to hold my laughter.

"I'm just saying...are you bringing him to Dad's retirement party?"

"Dad's what?" I asked in surprise.

"Oh don't look so shocked. We've discussed this so many times. Your father is retiring next month."

My jaw still was on the ground. "When was I told this?"

"Oh right...you spent the holidays with Alex's family! I forgot to tell you about it. He's retiring. We are having a party at Tavern on the Green on May first."

Mia's birthday. Our anniversary. Could it be two years already? Could it be that we only have a year to go before we could be together? That reminded me. "Mom, what would you say if I told you I was converting my religion?"

She glared at me. "I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, it's just an idea I've been considering."

"Well don't. It'd kill your father."

"Mom, it's kind of my personal decision."

"If you do it keep it a secret. Your father would have a heart attack."

Great. Another secret to keep from my parents.

"Congratulations Dr. Moscovitz," Alex said cheerfully, with Ella on his hip.

I smoothed out her hair that was sticking up. Geez, I have become my mother now.

My father looked at Alex oddly. He didn't really like him because, well, he was thinking that Alex was my lover. He was all about gay rights, but didn't want his son to be gay. Who would carry on the family name? Well, I still wouldn't be but let my cousin Jeremy do it.

"Thank you Alex. Michael, how is little Ella?" he asked reaching for my daughter.

Ella adored my father. "Pa," she cooed. She couldn't talk really, but could make certain sounds that resembled people's names.

"She's great. I have to take her for her one year physical in a few weeks."

"She's getting prettier by the day," he said with a smile as she grabbed his nose.

"Yeah," I said softly. She was looking more and more like Mia.

"Does she see her mom often?"

I glared at him. They had never asked me such a blunt question about Ella's origins. "Yes. She sees her sometimes," I lied automatically. Lying was becoming easier and easier.

"That's nice. I'm going to bring her over to some collegues. I'll see you in a little while."

Alex and I sat at a table on our own. Lilly still hadn't shown up. "Hey, there she is," Alex whispered.

I looked at the entrance and saw Lilly walking in with a guy I didn't recognize. I had assumed she'd be with Boris who she had been talking to more and more frequently. "I'll be back," I said to Alex.

"Hey there."

Lilly smiled like she hadn't been this happy in years. "Hey Michael!"  
I looked at her guest. He looked familiar. "Hi, I'm her older brother, Michael."

He laughed, "I know you Michael. It is me, Boris."

My eyes widened. "Wow, you've...changed."

"I hear you have as well," he said, looking past me at Alex.

"Yeah well, a lot has happened in the past few years."

"I bet. Do you still talk to Mia?"

Lilly grabbed his arm, "Hey, let's go see my dad, okay?"

I got home late that night. My parents wanted to take Ella home with them so I let them. I loved that little girl, but at times it's nice to have a room to yourself. No chance of a cry in the night waking you up.

The phone rang almost the minute I walked into the apartment. Lilly was out with Boris and Alex was over his friend Cal's house. Cal has some fashion emergency going on and only Alex could handle it.

"Hello?" I asked, not looking at the caller ID."

"Hey," a voice said softly.

Great. A perv phone call. "Sorry, not inter-"

"It's me," the voice said, "Mia."

"Mia?" I asked softly for some reason.

"I can't talk long. I am hiding out in a secret passage so the reception is terrible."

My wife was calling me for the first time in about nine months. "Happy birthday," I said after a few seconds of thinking.

She laughed, "Happy anniversary babe. Where have you been all night?" she asked worriedly.

"My dad is retiring. I explained that in the letter I sent last week but I guess you haven't gotten it."

"Oh. Was there a party or something?"

"Yeah. Alex was my date. Oh, you'll never guess who was there."

"Who?" she asked. I could tell her eyes were all wide right now.

"Boris Pelkowski. He and Lilly are together again."

"No way! That's awesome. I just bought his CD. Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to talk about him or anyone else. How are you and my little girl?"

"She's with my parents tonight. And happy. And missing you."

"Has she started walking yet?" she asked.

"No. Not yet. She's crawling around still and getting into everything."

She laughed. "I wish I could see it all."

"And me...I'm getting along. I'm still playing with the band. How about you?"

"The rumors about me and Evan are running rampant so Grandmere is happy. We are supposedly secretly married, did you hear that?"

"I tend to not read tabloids. What is being said?"

"That we got married sometime last year and last summer was our honeymoon. How funny huh?"

Yeah, I find it hiliarious that the world at large thinks some gay man is my wife's husband. The comedy never ends.

"Oh yeah. What did lover boy give you for your birthday?"

She sighed, "You sound jealous."

"No I do not."

"Yes you do."

"Whatever."

"Well, HE didn't give me anything. But I got a lovely drawing of a baby girl in a frame. Any ideas who sent me that?"

I smiled. Alex, an artist, was always sketching Ella while she was asleep or playing. He did a large copy so I could send it to Mia. "You like it?"

"Yes. Grandmere thinks some major artist drew it. She thinks Evan is a genius when it comes to art. Little does she know that it is his boyfriend that is the expert. Tell Alex it is lovely. It's going right up in my room as we speak. But I....I got to leave now. Grandmere is waiting for me for a morning ride."

I forgot that it was about seven in the morning there. "Okay babe. I miss you."

"I miss you too," she said in a shaky voice. I could tell she was about to cry. "More than you can even imagine."

With that she hung up.

"Happy birthday to yoooou!" Alex said terribly to Ella on her birthday. We were all at my parents cabin in upstate New York.

I could hardly believe that it had been a year since my daughter was born. This time last year I had never even changed a babies diaper, but now I could do it on the subway with hardly anyone even noticing (not that I normally did that, but desperate times call for desperate measures). She giggled and smiled. She had such a good nature about her. Other people I talked to about kids said that their babies cried throughout their birthday celebrations. But no. Ella was always cheerful. I really lucked out I guess.

She was sitting on my lap and threw her hand into the whipped cream frosting of her birthday cake. "Oh Ella, no!" I cried. She was going to get it all over her brand new birthday dress.

"Oh calm down Michael!" my mother said, laughing. "You are only one once!"

My parents were so different with Ella. They were relaxed. Not so...psycho analysist-y. "Mom, do you have any idea how much I spent on this?" I complained.

She laughed. "Michael, I never thought I'd hear you say something like that! My son, a father!" she said laughing. "You need to relax."

My dad said nothing though. HE was just observing. Looking at Ella. "She looks like someone I know," he said suddenly. Lilly was pushing her on a baby swing in the yard.

"Oh?" I asked, scrubbing the dishes.

"Like a young lady I used to know."

"Oh?" I repeated.

"I can't figure out who though."

"Maybe Mom?" I suggested.

He looked at me, "Maybe. Make sure you get the blue frosting off those plates."

On a whim, a few weeks later, I picked up a _Young Royal_ magazine. It was an import version of one of Europe's best selling magazines.

The cover was Mia and the headline, "The first REAL interview with Everyone's New Fave Royal"

At home, after Ella fell asleep I sat down on my fire escape where it was cool to read the magazine. I must have looked ridiculous buying such a teeny bopper magazine, but who would remember me buying it?

I opened it up to the interview with Mia. The first page was showing pictures of her shopping with friends in Genovia and having a romantic picnic with Evan. I loathed him for a minute. He was feeding her fresh strawberries and drinking champagne with her. He was lucky I knew he was gay or I'd have him killed.

**Genovia's Princess Amelia: Get's Real**

**For close to seven years now the world has known who Mia Thermopolis was. While we now know her as Amelia Renaldo she still harbors a love for her old home, New York City. In the seven years she has known of her royal status she has never given a real personal interview to any European newsprint, and has decided that it is about time to embrace her new home in Genovia.**

**Young Royal: Your Highness, it is an honour to finally meet you. You have proven to be so elusive in the past.**

**Princess Amelia: Well, I am twenty years old now I thought it was about time to get close to the people that I am going to rule over one day.**

**YR: Everyone is thirsting for some more information about you!**

**PA: I'm not sure exactly why. I'm just your average twenty year old-**

**YR: With three hundred million dollars at your disposal?**

**PA: laughs Well, yes but if you notice I don't spend much of it on myself. gestures to current out fit of an old concert t-shirt with the American band Phantom Planet on it, and ripped jeans I still wear the clothes I've always worn.**

**YR: Why though? **

**PA: It seems silly to spend so lavishly on myself when I don't need anything. All I want in my room back home is a computer with internet connection. That's all. But yet my grandmother won't allow it because it'll destroy the beauty of the palace charm. Whatever that means laughs **

**YR: You seem like a philanthropist.**

**PA: Well...I dunno. I always have wanted to help save the whales and other endangered species around the world. I hope when I become the dowager princess that I can do something about that.**

**YR: Like turn the palace into an animal shelter?  
PA: laughs You remember that huh? Well, not exactly a shelter. My goals have changed a little bit. **

**YR: That was back around the time you started dating your high school sweetheart, Michael Moscovitz. What happened with him?**

**PA: Well...last I heard he was pretty happy. I don't really get to talk to him anymore. It's hard to when I'm here and he's...well, he is somewhere else. He was my first love and I won't forget him. **

**YR: But I'm sure it's hard to think about him the same way you think of Evan Chambers!**

**PA: laughs Well, of course it is! They are very different men. Evan...well, he's more understanding. But it isn't fair to compare a man who is twenty four to a guy I dated when I was a teenager. **

**YR: Tell us about your relationship with Evan.**

**PA: Well, my Grandmere introduced us when I was eighteen, almost two years now. We really didn't get along at first but that's how the greatest love stories work don't they? Well, we got together during my first semester at the university and have been inseperable ever since.**

**YR: Rumors have been going around about the real relationship you two have. Are you secretly married?**

**PA: blushing Me and Evan secretly married? No. We have discussed marriage but it's a long process. I'm trying not to jinx it. Let's cross our fingers!**

**YR: You can be sure we will be doing so! If you weren't a princess, what would you be doing? Where would you be?  
PA:Honestly?**

**YR: Totally.**

**PA: I'd be in New York, probably going to NYU. I'd be with all of my old high school friends still. **

**YR: Even the Moscovitz boy?**

**PA: Who knows? Maybe. At the very least we'd still be friends...I'd like to think so at least.**

**YR: What would you want to do for a career?**

**PA: Well, ideally a vet, but I'm not all for seeing blood and guts even of animals. I think maybe a writer. I love writing but I find very little time to do it with all my obligations as a princess. **

**YR: Do you regret accepting your role as the heir to the Genovian throne?**

**PA: What kind of question is that? If I said yes then everyone would hate me. If I say no then I sound like a little brat complaining that I don't see my old friends or that I can't write anymore. I don't mean to sound like a little brat but honestly...**

**YR: Sorry...but thank you so much for talking with us today.**

**PA: My pleasure. **

**YR: Where you off to next?**

**PA: blushes I have a meeting with Evan. We're going to have a picnic this afternoon in the park near my summer home. **

I read this over and over again. She mentioned me barely, but the thought that she was telling the whole world who I was and exactly what I 'once' meant to her was amazing. Sure, she was saying that she could never think of me the same way as she thought of Evan, but that is a good thing. She thought of me as the love of her life and him as a great shopping partner.

But then came the big announcement.


	22. Leaving NY?

Author's Note: Oh. Dear. God. I dunno now....who shall this be dedicated to:

Arod: For trying to bitch slap Arroyo and being called out and therefore losing a run? Hmm, maybe...

Bellhorn: For actually getting a hit, no...wait, a homerun that basically won the game?

No....I shall dedicate this to Schilling...my lover for the evening....

The guy had his skin folded into his tendons or something. And then he pitched while his ankle was bleeding. You rock, rock.

And to Lucie: Boys are dumb. Throw rocks at them. Unless they have Beautiful faces. Then just smack them silly. And remember, you are not goign to end up with a silly boy from your town...oh no, you will marry Jason. Oh yes, remember that. Everyone else should understand that as well.

* * *

"_Ladies and gentleman, the long wait is over. Native New Yorker and heir to the Genovian throne has announced her engagement to Evan Chambers, son of Lord Vicar Chambers of Monaco. The love birds have been seen in such romantic spots as St. Tropaz, the French Riveria and most recently Mexico. The pair have not announced a wedding date, but it is expected to be sometime after the princesses twenty first birthday, after her junior year at the national university. We'll keep you updated on any wedding plans."_

So my wife was engaged to another man.

"Aren't they a lovely couple?" Alex said sarcastically the next morning as he tossed the paper at me.

"Just grand," I replied easily. "And not big fans of public displays of affection I notice."

He laughed. "I cannot wait until I can kiss him in front of the whole world and tell everyone that he is the one I love. Not an unsophisticated _American slob_."

"I do take offense to that," I argued.

"I don't see why though!" he countered, picking up all my trash. "Couldn't you be a bit neater when you make breakfast?"

I shrugged. "Why bother when you pick it up for me?" I seriously. Mia and I once had this argument when she used to stay at my dorms. She was kind of messy and I was the neat one. She didn't see the point of making a bed when she was going to sleep again in it in twelve hours anyways. I kind of took that philosophy as my own. Everything becomes messy eventually. Maybe it was from missing her that I became like that, or maybe because I decided that no matter how much I cleaned Ella would find a way to make a mess of my things.

Mia and Evan announced that their wedding would take place on June fifteenth. Six weeks after her birthday. It would seem way too obvious if we chose the first as our new anniversary. People would think it was odd that she chose her birthday.

But she kept me up to date with the plans. She asked my opinions (like where to for the honeymoon...I wanted a bedroom anywhere. She determined that would mean Australia.), and told me I could choose the music for the reception. Ha, yeah, that'd be interesting wouldn't it? I mean, imagine playing The Clash, The Ramones, Dashboard Confessional and all the lot in front of the Queen of England? Wouldn't it be priceless to see her boogying down to the Beatle's? I mean, the Beatle's were kicked out of Genovia for being too loud. Our wedding should be interesting.

That is, if we even made it to the reception. If her grandmother didn't have me executed once I stepped out of the church. Or if she didn't have a WANTED sign for me at the airport.

I thought about her grandmother one night while Ella swung in her bouncer. I mean, Mia and I deserved one another. We had this beautiful baby girl that hardly knew her mother. So what if I broke up with Mia for what, three, MAYBE four months? That was how long ago? Now three years ago...wow, that was three years ago. I hadn't even been thinking about getting married, or having a baby. Now here I am. Twenty three and currently a single dad. It's crazy really how life can change.

And then I thought about when I said goodbye to Mia, believing I wouldn't see her again for three years. How lonely did I think I'd be? Now I have little Ella and I...I can't even imagine life without her. To her everything is new. I get to teach her about the world and she'll listen to me without questioning me. I mean, sure she'll do that in the future, but for now she really trusts me. Which is terrifying. It's one thing that keeps me up at night. I am responsible for a living breathing human being.

"So, Michael, you've been here a year now...gotten your feet wet yet?" my supervisor, Kendall asked me one afternoon over a lunch meeting.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah...I guess. I enjoy my work."

"Good. That's a good thing because I have a proposal for you."

I looked at her skeptically. "Okay, what's up?"

"We are opening a west coast office. We need someone to be out there for six months or so to head it up. And interim group leader. I think you would be the best candidate."

I was struck speechless. "Oh. I see."

She laughed, "You are getting a promotion and a very nice increase in pay."

I nodded slowly. "I know, but the west coast? It's kind of..."

"I know. A big change. But I think you need one. I mean, it seems like you have ghosts around you here. Ella's mom and everything."

Everyone now assumed that Ella's mother had died and that I was now Alex's boyfriend. The gossip mill in the office _is amazing_.

"But you see...I get a lot of help here. My parents are here, my sister..."

"It's only for six months. You'll be back and will be getting your old job back. It's a great experience, Michael. You should take this opportunity and run."

Little did he know that I would not be coming back if I took this job. "Oh. Well, I-I don't know. I mean, my friends..."

"You are allowed to take a hand picked support staff," he offered, thinking I meant Alex.

I bit my lip. "When would I start?"

"Three weeks."

I bit my lip deeper. I could almost taste the blood. "When do I need to let you know?"

"Two days."

"T-Two days?" I asked hoarsely. "I wouldn't even have enough time to find a place to live! I'm expected to decide this in two days without even knowing-"

"You would live in the company townhouse. It's gorgeous. Right on the beach...and there is a great nursery for Ella to go to during the day."

"I dunno. I like the idea of her knowing her grandparents, and spending time with them."

"They are retired aren't they? Why couldn't they go out to see her? Or stay out there for the six months?"

"You guys really want me out there huh?"

"You are the only person we are talking to about this. No one _even knows_ about it."

I stood up. "I'll let you know. Give me some time to think about this and to talk to my family about it."

But I didn't really have to convince them that a move would be good. "It will make you get past all your past heartache," my mom said excitedly. "And your father and I have always wanted to retire somewhere warm."

"You don't have to move out there," I replied. "I mean, it's only six months. We'll be back and you can bond then," I said, lying. I was a really shitty son wasn't I? She would hardly ever see her granddaughter that she had fallen head over heels for.

She glared at me. "No. We've talked about moving to Florida but that seems...well, for old people. California would be an adventure. What does Alex say?"

I shrugged. "He said he'd go anywhere."

She gave me a look. "Michael, I've been wanting to talk to you about him. Is this relationship with him just a way to forget Mia?"

I pretended to be surprised. "No. I don't even think about her," I lied. She was only my every thought. "Alex is different."

"I'd say so...he does have a penis and a good fashion sense," Lilly said, coming in. "Won't this be an adventure Mom? I mean, you always wanted to do something as a real family and here we are. Michael and I are adults and are moving across the country with you. Fun huh?"

"Lilly, you _hated_ the west coast," Mom snapped.

Lilly looked stung for a minute, and that surprised me. She never let anything like that bother her. "Things are different now, Mom. I have Boris. I'm not dealing with any of those west coast assholes."

"Just a Russian one," I replied, popping a grape in my mouth.

She gave me a look. "Michael, can I talk to you?"

She pulled me into the living room. "What?" I asked.

"I left school for a good reason. And I didn't leave California because of Shameeka or anything."

Great. What now? I did not want more stress. I would much rather believe that she left because she was unhappy with school.

"Okay. That's nice," I said, trying to get away.

"Michael, please?" she said with pleading eyes. This was not like Lilly. Something was terribly wrong.

I sat down on the leather couch. "What is it Lil?"

"I'm gonna tell you the whole story. I don't know why I am telling you now...but I just think you should know. You are my big brother and you've told me everything that is going on in your life..."

"Yeah?"

"I..." she started.

"Take your time," I offered.

My mother walked by. "I'm going to the gym for a little while. I'll be home in a few hours, then maybe some dinner?"

I nodded, hoping she'd just walk out, which she did.

"What is it Lill?" Clearly this was major. It not only caused her to leave California and her dream school, but caused a huge rift between my parents and her.

"I _had_ to leave the school," she said slowly.

"After how long?"

"Just the year," she said softly. "But I knew I was leaving well before that..."

"Um...okay."

"I had an affair with one of my professors," she said quickly.


	23. Californiaaaaaa

Author's Note: WOOOOOT. Red Sox are bangin'. Hey Petey best not mess it all up tonight. We need the momentum ya know?

More WS Gossip that you probably don't care about: Jeter is pissed off and letting everyone know about it in NYC....

A-Rod is a lousy tipper

- Oh wait, I forgot, we beat them so they aren't part of World Series gossip! Brew haha!

That was mean huh? Let me gloat over that. It's almost better than winning the whole thing. Hey Yankees, who's your Papi?

Okay...um, here's an update. It's been a week already so I suck majorly huh? Can you blame me? I have midterms, Patriots (21-0 haha NY Jets!), plus a lil thing called the World Series. I'm a very busy girl.

* * *

Last time we left off Lilly just admitted that she had an affair with a professor. And no, I don't think you can be kicked out of school for that, but you'll see why she chose to....

* * *

Okay, definitely was not expecting _THAT_. "Oh."

"But then I broke it off after like, two months and he didn't want it to be over."

I bit my lip. "Okay." At least it was a man. I didn't need anymore surprises in my life.

"He stalked me. Not like _Norman_ stalking, but for real. He followed me back to my apartment one night and attacked me. That was when I decided I couldn't be at school anymore, but then he and Shameeka started dating."

Ah _ha_. "How old was this guy? How did he attack you?" I asked, snapping into protective big brother mode.

"How do you _think_?" she asked with red eyes. "But I told Mom and Dad a different story. I told them I was with him and that he dumped me for Shameeka."

"Why didn't you tell Shameeka?" I snapped.

"Because, it's _embarrassing_, Michael."

"You should tell her. If she's dating a pervert you should."

"She doesn't want to hear it. So I left there. I was terrified…I've never felt like that in my entire life. But now…life is looking up. I have Boris back and…well, I kind of have an idea about where my life is gonna lead me. And we won't be near him or _her_…"

I absorbed everything my little sister just told me. She had an affair with her professor. She had been assaulted by said professor. Her life had been destroyed by said professor. A rage that I never knew filled my chest. I wanted to kill the guy. I had never felt like this before…not about Lilly at least. I mean, she's my sister but she's always been able to take care of herself. She never needed me.

And then I felt even worse. I wasn't even able to take care of my little sister who was simply on the other side of the country. How would I protect my wife in an entirely different country? What if Evan had tried something in a drunken stupor? I felt totally helpless.

"Why are you telling me this....I mean, now?"

"So when we get there you understand if I'm quiet…and to explain why I've been so quiet….and my mate choices."

I laughed. Mate choices. "As long as you are okay with going out there then I want you there. Ella needs a woman who isn't into psychoanalyzing her every move."

She smiled. "I'm gonna be so sad when you guys leave for Genovia."

I shrugged, "You can come when ever you want to."

"It won't be the same though. I mean, don't get me wrong. I love helping out with her and everything…it'll be like ripping off a band aid ya know?"

"Penny Lane?" I asked, thinking about Almost Famous, our shared secret obbession.

"Put it in," she said with a smile.

* * *

_Michael- I cannot believe you are moving all the way to __California__! You are nuts babe, absolutely nuts. But I'm excited for you, I know __New York__ was getting on your nerves. And to be honest, if the roles were reversed it'd be getting on my nerves as well. I may have a surprise for you darling, but I won't say much more so I won't disappoint you. I must go. Ballet lessons (speaking of being nuts…)_

_ -Purple_

I was going to California before my family was going out. Alex and I had to help set up the new office and set up our house. My parents had bought a condo in the suburbs…doesn't that sound weird? The company gave me a car, which is going to be weird because I have never actually driven Ella in a car. When we went to my parents cabin we had my dad driving his mini van. Needless to say I was terrified.

I walked through the parking lot and saw a huge crowd of cameras. I guess I'd have to get used to seeing even more celebrities around. I mean, in New York we did, but those were nothing like in L.A. . "I wonder who it is…hey, maybe it's _Keanu_," Alex gushed. He was a big Keanu Reeves fan. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh please. If it was there would be no cameras." I craned my neck and saw who it was. _It was Mia_. I wouldn't get to talk to her, but we caught one another's eye. She did this on purpose. So we could share a brief moment together. I smiled and she discreetly waved to me.

I hailed a cab as she and her entourage came near the curb. "Would you mind?" she asked politely to me as a cab came up.

"What, share one?" I asked with a knowing grin. "No limo?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically, "Of course not. I need to get to the embassy quickly sir. I am _very_ important and necessary."

I tried to not laugh at her 'holier than thou' attitude. "Fine your _HIGHNESS_."

Oh God. Watching that cab pull away was the highlight of the past few months. Seeing her look out the back window was...priceless. She was just a regular girl, not a princess. She was looking at me and smiling. I waved weakly.

"Moscovitz, we still need a cab," Alex said, looking at his cuticles. "Get one."

And that was the beginning of my new life in California. It was a much different speed than New York, that's for sure. I liked it, and Mia wrote that life in California was very much like Genovia, so it was good that I liked it.

She apologized for looking so cold. But she was happy we at least had a chance to see one another. She was also disappointed that Ella wasn't with me, but understood my reasoning. I told her I wished I had gotten into the cab with her just so we could at least hold hands.

She didn't have a chance to pop into my new townhouse. She was in town only for two days for conferences with the top U.S. Oil executives.

From that point where I moved to California I figured out that I had only had one hundred and ninety nine days until I get to marry Mia for real. In front of hundreds of invited guests and television viewers (yes, I was informed that it was to be broadcast worldwide. Her grandmother is going to kill us for such a public embarrassment! I can't wait!)

Ella loved the environment. Her skin was never exposed to so much sunlight back in New York, and she couldn't go to the playground as much. It was an interesting experience with her there because we were all having brand new experiences.

_ Mia- Here are some pictures of my daughter at __Venice__Beach__. She loves dipping her toes in the water- but then she runs away. She is so funny and adorable, just like her mom. She saw her picture the other morning and said 'Hi Mama!' and kissed it, doesn't it crack you up? I wish her mother was around to see this and for her today hi to in real life. But who knows? I guess when the time is right they will meet. Anyways, I just thought I'd drop a note to you while you are going crazy with your wedding plans. I'll send you a list of songs you should have played on the big day. Have you picked out your dress yet? How about your guys' wardrobe? He was in the military, but he's not going to wear the uniform is he?_

- HRH

We started getting more careful about what we wrote in the letters. I never said 'our daughter' because her grandmother almost found a letter before Mia could hide it. I was also stressing out because the tabloids were speculating the wedding wardrobe.

Supposedly he was going to wear his military uniform with all of his awards for the big day, and I couldn't do that. If I pretended to be a military official then I could get thrown in jail.

But she wrote back that her 'guy' was to wear khaki pants and a navy blue jacket…Evan has been trying to appear to be casual and therefore would wear such clothes for his wedding. It'd be the _only_ casual thing about the entire day.

I always took Ella to the beach when I got home from work. Alex went to the gym with Lilly so it was time to just be with my daughter. Our only alone time really.

Ella was the most adorable baby in the world. She toddled along the shore in her khaki capri's and tank top. Her hair was so curly...I guess she got that trait from me.

I liked feeling the water hitting my feet, so I would walk barefoot along the shore with my khaki's rolled up. Most guys my age probably think this would be the ideal way to seduce a woman; bring her to a picnic on the beach and then make her fall in love with you.

Me? Nah, I just bring my kid.

Ella loved running around on the beach after we took our initial walk along the shore. I would sit on some rocks and watch her chase around other little kids on the beach.

It made me think about the summer I spent in Genovia with Mia after I graduated high school. We'd only been together about six months at that point, but I had known even back then that I'd be with her for the rest of my life. We would sneak out to the whitesand beach near the palais and then run around. Make out a little.

But I never really showed how much I loved her though...not in public. We were no J. Lo and Ben (I guess that's kind of a good thing huh?). I kind of regretted not being more open with my feelings, but what eighteen year old is?

Ella collected shells along the shore for me and put them in a bucket. I told her we'd put holes in the shells and then make a necklace for her mommy. She didn't quite understand why she didn't have a mother at home like her friends from playgroup did, but she accepted it. I mean, she's only one and a half at this point so one wouldn't think she'd understand relationships at all, but she's so bright. She always is asking 'Dada, where Mama?' when we are out and we see other little girls with their mothers.

Mia doesn't believe me when I tell her how Ella is saying such things. I mean, the last time Mia saw her, Ella was just pooping and crying. Now she's forming primitive sentences and walking around. She's a real person now.

God. I should make her stay this age forever. I don't think I'll be able to handle it when she is a teenager. Maybe I'll discover an aging vaccine so I can keep her like this for as long as I want.

* * *

Work was pretty boring. I was the group leader on all the projects so I needed to work some long hours finalizing plans for new programs and contracts. All I really wanted was to go home and hang out with Ella. She just made things better for me. I mean, I couldn't have _Mia_ at this point, so I got at least a little bit of her in Ella.

Lilly and Boris met up a lot. It was weird seeing her so happy. She started taking classes at night and worked at a bar on the weekends. But on those nights at the bar Boris was never very far. He had finished touring for the winter months and was spending a lot of his time in the townhouse with Lilly.

Alex started stressing out about Evan. "We've been together for awhile, but not really together, ya know?" he said one night. "I mean, he's always been out there with Mia. At least you and Mia had a chance to have a regular relationship!"  
"It was never a regular relationship, and never will be," I said simply. "But you and Evan will work everything out. Have you decided what you are going to do after this is all over?"

I glanced over at Ella who was staring at _Dora the Explorer_ on Nick Jr..

" We were talking about moving to London. We'd get separate flats there until we were ready to be living with one another."

"You guys will always be welcome to visit us in Genovia," I offered. "I know Ella will miss you a lot."

He looked at Ella who was yelling 'da map! Da map!'. "It's really weird. Before her I would have never imagined being so attached to a child. But now…I dunno. I'll miss making her dinners…cutting her hot dog into itty bitty pieces. And who will watch and appreciate _Beaches_ with me?"

"She's only a year and a half, I highly doubt she appreciates the movie," I replied with an easy laugh. I was able to laugh easily because it was only six more months until I was with Mia again.

"Hey, Lilly doesn't have class tonight. Why don't we have her watch Ella and we go out for some drinks? I think we both need some guy time out of this place."

I shrugged. I hated leaving Ella. But Alex was right we needed some time out. "As long as it's okay with Lil-"

"As long as what is okay with me?" she asked, coming in on cue.

" Will you watch Ella tonight for me? We were just going to get some drinks."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure. Go ahead. Be home early though. I have plans tomorrow morning."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Now leave."

"What are the plans?" I asked as she pushed me out the door.

"None of your business."

"Does it have to do with your bridesmaid dress?"

She stopped, "How'd you know?"

"I am a freaking genius. Okay, we won't be late."


	24. Wicked Pissa

* * *

Author's Note: I cried last night. Seriously. For the first time watching a Red Sox game I was able to have tears of UTTER JOY stream down my face. We won the effing World Series dude. The Champions of the world! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! 

Now pray for me going to the parade on Saturday. It's gonna be like, 7 million people and raining. I'll hopefully be with an extrememly hot boy by my side (with all luck that Nicholas). Any who....

New England is the best place to be right now for sports fans. We have a great football team. The WORLD CHAMPION baseball team...Gosh, I still wanna cry out of the wonder of it all...seeing those guys jumping on a pile like that...Pokey Reese on top crowd surfing. Johnny Pesky finally holding up a WS trophy....holy crapola.

And for all you sports fans out there: We will open our home series next year with the Yankees ( cough suck cough ). We will get our Pennent banner, our WS banner and our BLING BLING. Take that Georgie Porgie! Brew haha!

On another note: Nomar Garciaparra whining about them getting here w/o him? Cry me a rivah Nomah. Seriously dude. You are getting a cut in the profits from the play offs. Stop whining already.

You must all understand my delay in updating, right? I've been a bit stressed out over the past two weeks with my boys playing ball and all.

* * *

Alex and I sat at the bar and watched a pre game show for Monday night football. Since Mia has left and I no longer played in the band (a casualty from my move to California), sports became kind of important to me. I now followed the Jets, but they weren't playing tonight. That game was New England versus Pittsburgh. "That Tom Brady is a cutie," Alex said.

I looked around and saw that no one was around, luckily. "Alex, it's football. Don't discuss their looks. Stop being a woman."

"What's wrong with being a woman?" the bartender, a woman, asked.

I chewed on a nut. "Nothing. I happen to like woman a lot, but my friend here is talking about Tom Brady and that isn't something I particularly like."

"Another drink cutie?" she asked, fluttering her eye lashes.

Alex tried to hold back his smile. He loved when women flirted with me. "Yeah, thanks."

The bartender, who happened to be named Chirstie, turned out to be a big football fan. "What the hell was that?" she screamed.

I laughed. It wasn't like I was the biggest sports fanatic, but it was weird to see a woman be so into the game. "Big Pat's fan?" I asked with a laugh.

"No, I knew Tom when he was younger. He's from California ya know."

I shrugged. I wasn't the type to look up the personal information about players. "I guess."

As we left, "So I'll see you boys next week?" she called out to us.

I waved, "We'll see."

The next week Alex was refusing to go to the bar to watch the game, so he stayed home with Ella while I went out to watch the game alone. Sad huh? Drinking alone?

"No partner this time?" Christie asked.

I shook my head and kept my eyes pasted to the television screen. "No. He's home with my…" I started to say daughter but for some reason I didn't want her to know I was a father. "My family. We're best friends so he's tight with them."

"Cool. So who do you like for this game?" she asked, looking up at the screen.

"Oakland is looking good this year, but I think the Colts will take this one."

"You are joking right? They suck this year-"

"Wanna bet?" I asked.

"Fine. What do I get when I win?"

"What do you want?" I asked. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was flirting…wait, she doesn't know better so she probably thinks that I am flirting.

"Dinner. And if you are right, then I'll take you for dinner."

"It's a deal."

She winked at me and went to her other patrons.

"Where are you going?" Lilly asked that Friday night.

"Oh, just dinner," I replied.

"I'm working, I can't babysit," she replied.

"I know, Alex is," I replied, putting on my tie. I walked out of the room, hoping she wouldn't follow.

"Whoa, wait. Who are you going to dinner with then?" she asked. "And what is with the hideous tie? Did Mia come in town and not tell me?"

I laughed, "No."

"Then who are you going to eat with?" she demanded.

"This girl Chirstie. She's the bartender at-"

"Flypaper?" she asked.

"Yeah, you know her?"

"Uhm, yeah. The same guy owns the bar I work in. She's filled in a few times at my place. I talked to her last night actually. What the hell are you doing going to dinner with her?"

"I lost a bet so I owe her a dinner."

She rolled her eyes. "Michael, don't do anything stupid. I mean, last night we were talking about our weekend plans and I was complaining about Boris going to Russia for Christmas to be with his parents. She started talking about a hot date for the weekend. For tonight."

"Maybe she's meeting someone afterwards," I offered.

"Or maybe she means you. I'd cancel if I were you. Give her money for dinner or something. She's a man eater."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please, she's harmless."

"What I'm trying to figure out is how the hell she agreed to a dinner with you, knowing that you have a daughter."

I bit my lip.

"You didn't tell her about Ella, did you? You are a scumbag Michael. A real dirty guy. Mia is over in Genovia with a gay man while you are going out on a date. You are married, you asshole!"

I hated to admit it, but Lilly was totally right. I looked at myself. I didn't want her to get the wrong idea so I ran to my room and called her up. "Do you mind if I bring someone with me?" I asked.

"Oh, um, sure I guess…not another woman I hope!"

"No," I started with a laugh, "Not another woman."


	25. The Other Woman

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Woot. I went to the 'rolling rally' for the Red Sox on Saturday. You can see pictures of it in this weeks' TIME magazine. But I wasn't near those ppl. I'm not crazy. If I could I'd post the pictures I have on here. Those of you who wanna see know how to contact me (oh yes, I got a loverly picture of a certain Jesus looking centerfielder we all know and love). I went near the end of the route and got close to a particular boy I've had my eye on.

I'm in a good mood (to say the very least), even though my Dunkin Donut's was closed for renovations. It'll save me some money and frustration in the morning, right? uhm, not really but sure. Whatever.

This chapter is dedicated to my Johnny Damon. I Heart Johnny (and Nicholas, I know, who the frick is that? see above for that 'particular boy'). 

BY THE WAY: I have been tryin to update for days now. IT just wasn't working for me. So blame and not me for lacking in updates. And My Best Friend will be updated once this is over....which is soon. 

And once MBF is over prepare for a totally different MM story. You have been warned. I'm telling you, heed my warning and keep an open mind.

* * *

I met Chirstie at the restaurant. I was holding Ella's hand. "Could we please have a height chair?" I asked the hostess, who smiled at Ella and told me she'd have it right at our table.

"Aww, who is this cutie pie!?" Chirstie asked with a big smile.

"My daughter," I replied. "Ella."

Chirstie's mouth dropped. "Oh, I didn't know you had a little girl. Is it your weekend with her or something?" she asked.

"No. I have her all the time. Her mom is away for awhile working, but we'll be all together in a few months. Ella you want fries?"

"Whoa, wait, you are married?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Well, _practically_."

"Then why are you on a _date_ with me?"

"I'm not," I argued. "I just said we could have dinner. Never said we were on a date."

She sighed. "Fine. I have to go then. I made plans with some friends just in case this didn't work out, and _clearly_ it isn't. Good night."

I shrugged and the waiter came up to us. I ordered a side of French fries for Ella and a steak for myself.

Ella and I mailed the sea shell necklace to Mia for Christmas. Well, Ella gave her that, I sent her a locket to put on her bracelet with a picture of Ella at the beach, and on the other side was a picture of me. People would assume that Evan had given it to her and wouldn't bother to ask questions of her.

She sent Ella some dolls that were one of a kind from a Genovian doll maker. I made sure those were put high on a shelf so she didn't slobber all over them. She sent me a watch and some books I had trouble finding in the states.

* * *

"Only a few more months, you nervous?" Lilly asked as she packed her bag.

"No. Not really. I just don't want to be thrown into a Genovian prison."

"You won't."

"Don't forget this picture of Ella," I said handing her a new picture. She was going for a bridesmaid luncheon in Genovia. She would be seeing _my wife_ the next day.

"Any messages for our fair Mia?" she teased.

I twiddled my thumbs and looked at Ella, who was playing in the back yard in a sandbox. "Tell her…tell her that we miss her."

So our wedding is in June. It is now late April, close to Mia's birthday. I didn't send her anything because we agreed that we'd celebrate our birthday's together when we were in Genovia ( I know, mine is in January but I don't care about waiting). But I did send a song I convinced the guys from my old band to record with me, to her for our three year anniversary.

Holy shit, three years now? It has been THREE YEARS since I married that crazy woman? How the hell have I survived the past three years without her?

* * *

I started preparing for the wedding as well. "Michael, what is this jacket for?" my mother asked one May Saturday afternoon.

I looked at the jacket she was holding up. "Oh that. Nothing."

She gave me a weird look. "I read something about Mia's wedding. That Evan fellow is wearing a jacket very similar to that."

I shrugged. "Great, I get to dress like her loser fiancée."

My mother's face softened. "How did things end with the two of you? I mean, she left so suddenly…we never discussed this. It isn't healthy to keep it bottled up inside."

"It just did," I snapped. "I never want to see her again," I mumbled._ A lie. A huge lie._ I hated doing this to my mother, but it'd all be over in a few weeks. Just a few more weeks of lying.

"So you are going to watch Ella for me tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yes, what are you doing tomorrow?" she asked skeptically.

"I just have a thing," I replied. I didn't tell her I was being baptized and receiving communion the next day, and that I would be confirmed on Monday night.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Ella is excited to sleep over your and Dad's place tonight," I said, quickly changing the subject.

She smiled, "We're taking her to dinner to show her off. That Bette Greene is always bragging about her granddaughter, I'll show her! Ha!"

I rolled my eyes. What ever happened to my logical psychoanalyst mother? Was she still in New York or something?


	26. Ella is MIA?

Author's Note: This is so totally almost over. Sad huh? Well, I may be adding more to the upcoming chapters. Not sure though. Read. Enjoy. Review.

* * *

The next day Lilly and Alex came with me as I was baptized and received first communion. I was the only one that day because I had asked for a private ceremony. It didn't take very long though, and we were back with Ella by that afternoon. She was giggly and happy because my father had taken her to the playground and she got all dirty. She loved getting messy. "So you are giving her a bath?" I asked my father.

"You know what son?" he asked, pulling me aside. Lilly and Mom were playing with Ella and trying to get the sand out of her shorts.

"What Dad?" I asked.

"I think I figured out who she looks like."

I felt a knot in my stomach form. "Oh?" I looked at my daughter who was not shortless and was running in her diaper.

"Yeah."

"So?"

"Who do you think I'm talking about?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I think she looks like me-"

"She looks like Lilly did when she was a baby."

That surprised me. I didn't think she looked anything like Lilly. "Okay, I guess if you say so."

This was followed by a few minutes of complete and utter silence.

"Did your mother tell you that we have been invited to Mia's wedding?" he asked as we made our way to the cooler filled with beer.

I shook my head as I twisted a cover off my bottle. "Nah, she didn't say a thing."

"I find it a bit odd to be invited to this type of occasion, don't you?"

"_I'm_ not invited," I replied automatically.

"You weren't? I was sure you would be. You being her first love and all…"

"_Yeah_, _that _would make me eligible for an engraved invitation," I said sarcastically. I needed to sound bitter. "I think Lilly was going to bring Ella though. She needs to go somewhere while I move back to New York, ya know?"

My father raised an eyebrow, "You are going to let Mia meet your daughter?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, why not? She can see that I am happy and fulfilled. And that I _don't_ need her." _Yes I do need her_. And I wanted her to possibly have some time with her daughter alone. I've had plenty of time with Ella all to myself, it was her turn to see her daughter.

"Oh right, have you found a new apartment yet?" he asked. "In New York that is."

"Nah, I'll figure something out though, I'm sure." Little did he know that new place was in Genovia in a palace. And he'd hardly ever get to see his granddaughter anymore. But I couldn't say all that to him.

I packed up my townhouse and put my stuff into storage. There was no going back now. It had been a mere six months here and somehow we had gathered more junk than I could have ever imagined.

I filled a bag of Ella's toys to bring to Genovia with me. I had forgotten to pack her taggy blankie and Lilly was freaking out about it.

Ella had left three days before so that she could be with her mom. Lilly called and told me that she was crying for me throughout the flight over, and freaked out when she saw Mia. She knew that Mia looked familiar, but not enough to calm her down. Mia was kind of hurt, but understood.

They hung out on their own the next day, much to Grandmere's dismay. She told Mia that is wasn't proper for the princess to be seen with a baby who's parents were unknown. She told her grandmother that she would be spending her time however she pleased; only a small sign of her huge display of familial disloyalty to come.

As I rubbed Ella's fleece taggy blanket against my cheek (I'm such a dork, it smells like her baby shampoo that we use for her...I miss her so much and it's only been three days!) the phone rang. "Hello?" I asked, not looking at caller ID. I don't think this phone has one come to think of-

"Michael, I lost her."

"Hello?"

"It's me, Mia. I can't find Ella."

Panic. "You what?"

"She was here a little while ago, taking a nap on my bed. I went and took a bath and got up and she was gone!"

"Calm down," I said, trying to sound calm myself. Breathe. Breathe. "Does anyone else know she's missing?"

"Lilly just ran out to look for her."

"She's probably just exploring, Mia. That's it. Relax. She likes to snoop around places, most two year olds do. Her little friend Rex once toured the entire art museum while his parents scampered around looking for him. It's normal. She can't get very far-"

"How can you be so calm? Why don't you yell at me for losing our baby?"

"Mia, stay calm," I repeated. "Don't be freaking out or you'll freak out everyone else."

God. I was talking to my wife for the first time in months and I'm telling her to be calm? I'm not telling her how much I love her? Weird.

"I'm a terrible mother," she sighed.

"Baby, you aren't a terrible mother,"I said plopping down on my couch. "Just a new one. We'll work on this together, okay?"

"How have you done it all this time? Alone? I can't even handle it and I have the Genovian guard out there looking for her."

"Well, I put that electric collar on her, of course. When she starts running off I just zap her," I said, keeping a straight face.

"Not funny Moscovitz," she mumbled. "But we can do this together, right?"

"Sweetheart, in a few more days you won't have to ever be alone again," I promised.

"Ever?"

"Ever."

"Ever Ever?"

"Forever," I said with a laugh.

"Wow...three years comes down to a few days."

"I know, can you believe it?"

"I can't wait to wrap my arms around you and kiss you in front of everyone in that cathedral."

"To tell the whole world," I agreed.

We stayed on the phone until Ella was returned to Mia. We were worried at first that my number would be recognized but then realized that

1. The phone was in Alex's name

2. They won't be able to trace it for days. By then it'll be too late.

"Ella wants to talk to you," she said softly, handing the phone to our daughter.

"Da da!" she said proudly.

"El-El!" I said, almost with a tear in my eye. This is the longest we'd been apart from one another. ANd the furthest.

"I get dress!" she said, trying to tell me she got a new dress.

"I'm sure it's beautiful baby," I said wiping the tear away. "Daddy loves you."

"Love too Daddy," she said handing the phone off.

"I have to go," Mia said quickly. "I have my final dress fitting in five minutes. I love you though."

"You too baby."


	27. FBI?

  "So this is it," Alex said as he dropped me at the international terminal.

   I stared up at the sign directing me where to go. "Yup. Here we are."  I was wiggling in my pants. I was totally spazzing out now.  I must have changed my clothes a thousand times, causing Alex to remind me that I was not in fact seeing Mia upon my arrival.

  But I had to look unnoticeable. Tabloids had been running through Mia's past love life like crazy. Researchers had been looking for me for reporter's deadlines for the past few months. I luckily dodged the reporters.

  "Are we going to just stand here, or are you going to leave so I can go catch my flight?" he asked. He was going to meet Evan in Miami.

  I nodded. Right. I had to put one foot in front of the other here. I patted him on the back, "I'll see you in a few weeks, right?"

"Totally man. Good luck, have a good flight. And good luck with that other stuff."

"You too."

With that he was gone. I checked my bags and went through security. I was there extra early, so I sat in the waiting area and read the tabloids that were speculating about Mia's big day. I never thought it'd be this big of a deal. I mean, it's not like she's Princess Diana or anything. She wasn't having a huge wedding like everyone thought she was.

    _Guest List: Princes William and Harry Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles,, Princess Penolope of Ptetchborg, Queen Yasmine of Lusitopia, actor Elias Downey, Meg Chatrusse, the Hilton sisters, hotel heir Langdon Hyatt, BillionaireDonald Trump and many, many more. _

Wow. This is going to be interesting. Her grandmother is going to be _royally_ pissed off (heh, at least I still have my sense of humor!).

  _Princess finds her Prince Charming! _

_               Story by _  Eye Spye

_   With her twenty first birthday behind her Genovia's own Princess Amelia is settling down with her longtime love, Evan Randall Chambers. Their wedding comes almost a year after he proposed, which is rather odd considering they could have very well been married within months. They claim that they wanted her to finish off her junior year in college before they married. _

_   What this reporter finds odd is that they waited until after the princesses twenty first birthday. It is a very little known fact that only after the twenty first birthday may the princess choose her own mate. Anytime before this requires both the Parliament and the royal family to accept the mate. This reporter speculates that Master Chambers is not the choice that the family, nor Parliament has had in mind for the Princess. But if not Chambers, then who? _

_  The Princess has not been linked to anyone other than Chambers since she broke it off with her high school sweetheart almost **four** years ago. Before him there was a brief romance with a young man named Kenneth Showalter, but the princess has been quoted as saying, "That was a really was kind of a junior high relationship. He was my first boyfriend…I actually kind of had a crush on my next boyfriend Michael Moscovitz>, but I was going through a really awkward phase and I felt bad for Kenny. I liked him as a friend, but nothing more. We ended up becoming pretty good friends." _

_  When she and Moscovitz broke up during her junior year of high school she was very briefly linked to Elias Downey, a big Hollywood heavyweight. "My time with the princess was brief, but wonderful. She deserves every happiness in the world in my opinion. I won't say that I was the greatest of boyfriends to her, but I think we turned to be great friends. I don't think she can actually end a relationship with a person and not be good friends with them afterwards. She has had the same solid group of friends her entire life. And they're all really loyal to her…one of them punched me in the nose when I was being kind of sucky to her so…I dunno, go figure I guess. I can't wait to see her in her wedding gown though, it's supposed to be gorgeous." _

_  Which brings up another great question. Michael Moscovitz. He was her first great love, but where is he now? Downey says that Mia always stays friends with old flames, but what about her greatest?  Some insiders say that she has tried to contact the young man, but she broke his heart too hard when she went to Genovia. _

_  When I tried to reach him at his New York flat he was no where to be found. He had moved out and never left a forwarding address. This publication will find out for the public where he has gone exactly.  When she is asked about him she gets rather secretive and asks for some sense of privacy for the both of them. "He was an old boyfriend. The end. No more story. I don't go seeking him out so I don't see why you feel the need to. The only people who need to know where he is know where he is. The end." _

_   She's rather protective of him, don't you think? _

_   In other wedding news, the designs for the floral arrangements have been leaked to the press.  The princess's bridesmaids will be carrying an arrangement that is solely filled with a rare breed of flowers that were bred and named after the dowager princess Clarisse Renaldo. We have been unable to uncover the flowers that the princess herself will be carrying. Other flowers that will decorate the cathedral include white lilacs, marigolds, yellow roses and jonquils. _

_    We discussed these choices with florist to the stars Emile DuPree who told us the secret meaning behind these flowers. "She chose the Clarisse for her bridesmaids because she clearly wanted to honour her grandmother in a very discreet way. But she is not carrying them herself because she most likely wants to be her own person. The lilacs represent the first emotions of love. This is because Evan is undoubtedly her first love. Marigolds represent a sacred affection. Yellow roses mean love everlasting, and the jonquils represent affection returned. You often heard her complain about a particular former flame that did not act as affectionate with her as she would have liked, so this is kind of thumbing her nose at him." _

_   Perhaps we should have explained to Monsieur DuPree that Evan is not her first love, but we'll let it slide. _

_    Bridesmaids began arriving at the Genovian international airport (the countries only airport in fact), early in the week before the wedding. We stopped one who is rather unrecognizable. Sources tell us that this woman is the princesses' oldest and dearest friend. "What do you want? I'm just a bridesmaid in my friends wedding. No story here," she said, rather rudely as she carried a young baby through the airport and into a limo that was waiting for them and another young bridesmaid. _

_    Our next edition will have complete coverage from the biggest wedding in one of the oldest standing royal families in the world. _

                 I had to laugh a little bit. Lilly was totally rude to the reporter, GO LILLY!

"Flight 22 to Genovia, now boarding rows twenty six to thirty five," the clerk called out.

            I grabbed my carry on and walked toward the desk. I'd been waiting three years for this flight. Three long years to see the woman I loved more than life. And yes, I know it's love because no one goes through what we have unless they truly love one another.

   I had flown to Genovia plenty of times from New York, but this time was from LA. I had to pay extra in order to have a direct flight, but that was a small price to pay to see my favorite women in the world.

   I saw business men reading the Genovian National Paper. It was kind of like USA Today. Over there they only have national papers. In the U.S. there are like, at least three major papers in every state. This is only to show you how incredibly small this country really is.

   "We are flying here at the worst time," the man sitting next to me commented.

"Excuse me?" I asked, half asleep.

"The airport is going to be crazy with reporters. Looking for the famous people coming to the wedding."

"Wedding?" I asked, playing dumb.

"Of Princess Amelia. It's a media circus."

"Oh, is it really a big deal over there?"

"I work in France, but I normally fly into Genovia and take a cab because it's usually so much easier. But it is pretty nuts there now. They are comparing it to Princess Diana and Prince Charles's wedding. Only, hopefully with a _happier_ conclusion."

  "Does everyone really like the guy?" I asked nervously.

He shrugged. "He's _very_ charismatic…but I don't know. There's something wrong there. See, I am a body language expert. I analyze for the FBI. I look at suspects and that type of business. Look at this picture, for example. He isn't touching her like a man in love would. He is touching her like a brother would. And here, see this picture of her from when she was younger? With her old boyfriend from high school. See how he's touching her? He was in love with her-" he said, looking up at me in surprise. "You look like him. You aren't-"

"Huh?" I asked, lowering my hat. I'm a dumbass. This guy is an expert in body language. He can _tell_ that I am lying.

"Are you Michael Moscovitz?" he asked, reading the caption below the picture from her senior prom.

  I shrugged. "Yeah."

"And you are going to _Genovia_ on the eve of your ex girlfriend's wedding?"

"No, I'm actually going to Spain. I spent a semester there during college and I always wanted to go back. I just didn't realize that that it was her wedding this week."

He dropped it there.

  I thought about that picture we had taken the night of her prom...the one he'd shown me before. It was only about an hour later that she told me that she was being forced to move to Genovia. "What else can you see from that picture?" I asked hours later.

   "Beg your pardon?" he asked, startled that I was finally speaking again.

"The senior picture…"

"Oh, that. Well, she seems more comfortable with that man." He pulled it out again. He continued to pretend he didn't know who I was. Even if we had discussed my idenity. "See how his hand is on her hip? And how she almost is completely surrounded by him? They rely on one another for support…what they have- had, was real. Her smile, see here, isn't forced. And I've looked into her before for work purposes before…the past few years she hasn't looked the same as she did when she was in the States. She is very uncomfortable in Genovia. And even more recently," he said, taking some more pictures out of his briefcase, "I never showed you this, got it?"

I nodded.

   "This was taken in late August the year she arrived in Genovia. Compare it to this," he said handing me another picture. This second picture was taken, according to him, in mid July of that same summer. It was of her and Evan on a date. "When she is with him she looks terribly uncomfortable. It's been driving me crazy, this girl. There is something going on that we haven't figured out yet."

I forced myself to hide my smile. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

He stared at me hard. "I have a sinking suspicion we'll figure it out fairly soon."

I shrugged. "Who knows." He knew. He was in the FBI and he happened to be seated next to me? "But good luck with that."

"You still love her," he said, sliding the pictures back into the envelope they came from.

   "Puppy love," I lied, staring out the window stoically.

  "I doubt that. This doesn't look like it to me. I'm sorry it didn't work out," he said. "But I'll leave you alone now."


	28. PreWedding

Author's Note: I totally planned on updating this weekend but wouldn't let me. Blame them for your suspense.

* * *

And surprisingly he did. I grabbed my bags and looked at my watch. In California it was only nine o'clock at night. Here it is three in the morning. "Did you need a ride somewhere young man?" my plane buddy asked me. "You are staying in a hotel over night I assume?"

I rubbed my eyes. "No. My sister is getting me."

"Your sister lives here?"

"No…"I started to say she was in the wedding. But I had lied before and said that I didn't know about it. How would I be able to pull this off? "She's been travelling since she is on break from school."

"You going to watch the big show later?" he asked, lighting up a cigarette. He offered one to me.

I shook my head, "I don't think so. I'll probably sleep it off."

"Well, good luck," he said with a wink.

The United States of America sent their FBI to investigate me, this is as much I am sure of. Why hadn't we thought of that? I mean, the U.S. has always worked closely with Genovia to ensure the safety of Mia. She is both an American and Genovian citizen. But why didn't he ever say anything? Why didn't anyone say anything?

Lilly got me. "Hey assface," she said with a yawn.

"Hey Pudgy. Grandmere let you out?" I asked. "I would think she'd want one of her lead players to be fresh faced to the world."

"Easy breezy covergirl," she deadpanned, looking to see if she could pull out. "I have the fucking Genovian flags on my God damn car! Why won't these assholes let me go!"

"Don't forget, I'm staying in the city."

She nodded and pulled out quickly.

"Did you do what I asked you to do?" I asked as we pulled into the night traffic.

"The flowers? Yes. They'll be delivered to her door with her wake up call at nine."

I got about three hours of sleep that night. I had to be up at six to get to the cathedral on time. I had to meet with the priest beforehand and to get dressed and mike'd up.

"This is rather immoral," the priest commented. "Would you like to catch some sleep?" he offered.

I nodded. I needed some.

"I feel like the friar in _Romeo and Juliet_," he said as I closed my eyes. He was very talkative. Too talkative.

"Yeah, I guess."

"But I wouldn't have her pretend to be dead…"

"Yeah, I know."

"But anyways I'll let you get some sleep. I'll get you when you need to go out there."

He had shown me where I would be waiting for Mia. There was this chamber where I could see out there, but no one could see me. I would come out when everyone's back was toward the altar and were facing Mia coming down the aisle.

Five hours later I woke up to hear loud chatter in the cathedral. "Father?" I asked.

"You can go into your chamber now," he said directing me hastily. "Evan has arrived with the dowager princess. Hide."

I hid.

I heard the dowager princess talking to Evan about his new responsibilities.  
"Clarisse, I know what they are. May I please be alone before I go in front of all those people?"

"Don't be rude, Boy."

With that she left.

I poked my head out, "You are lucky you don't have to deal with her for the rest of your life."

He turned, startled. "Oh, hey man! Didn't know you were there! Nervous?"

"What, of hundreds of people out there? Nah. Of Clarisse having me killed? Yes."

He laughed. "She can't do a damn thing. And she hates me too so no matter what Mia would be marrying someone her grandmother detested. Why not have it be her husband?"

I laughed. "I think I better get back in the chamber so I can spy on the guests. When are you leaving for Miami?"

"Once the ceremony starts. I have a change of clothes underneath my suit here and a car waiting for me to leave. I wish I could see the reaction. Make sure to get a copy of the video."

We hugged (in a very manly way of course), and said good bye and wished one another the best of luck.

I still had forty five minutes before everything was going to start. The church was filling up with dignitaries I'd seen on TV thousands of times. Her grandmother is going to kill us.

"Michael," a voice hissed from behind me.

I considered ignoring it. To keep up my ploy of being Evan, but I slowly turned and saw Lilly. "Oh, hey."

"Here, Mia wanted you to have this," she said, handing me a card and a rectangular box.

"Thanks."

"Good luck big brother."

I winked at her and pushed her out of the chamber. I opened the card first.

_To my darling Husband- _

_ It's finally here! In only a few hours we are going to be giving my family…and yours, the shock of a lifetime. It's scary and exciting at the same time. I can't wait. Chances are our families are going to be really mad…mine more than yours, but still mad all the same. I can't believe that I'll be able to fall asleep with you tonight! _

_ Having you holding me in your arms again has been a dream for me…the only thing that has kept me going the past few years. We'll finally have a proper honeymoon! A short one though, I want to get acquainted with our daughter. I cannot get over how grown up she really is! We really should work on getting her a little brother or sister, don't you think? _

_ We can talk about all that later. I love you and can't wait to be your wife in front of the whole world. Enclosed are my journals from the past three years, starting from our wedding night. There are some spots that may be a little sad for you to read, but there's nothing you don't already know about. There are more books to this, but there's not much room in the box for them. You can have them later. _

_ Love, Mia _

I opened the box and found three books. She titled them all. I guess each was how she felt during that time. What was going on in her life then. The first was pink and titled 'The Princess Diary', then a green one called 'Princess in the Spotlight', then a red one called 'Princess in love' (I skimmed that one, it was her pregnancy with Ella). She was too creative for her own good at times.

My thoughts were interrupted because I heard the music playing in the church. I watched from my secret spot as the wedding march started. Her grandmother was escorted up the aisle by Mia's cousin Rene. Her other bridesmaids were escorted by men I had recognized, but not very well.

Wow. This is finally happening.


	29. Hymen

Author's Note: Welll, here it is. The ceremony. What will people say? Will you even find out here? I dunno. Read and find out.

Thanks for the mad crazy reviews. You all rock my sox. Cept from that girl who has nothing better to do than read 2 stories of mine and to tell me I suck. You are entitled to your opinion but I do believe I do not in fact suck. I happen to like me.

After this story is over I'm posting a short one on Michael's POV through the short Christmas story, Princess Present. And finishing up My Best Friend, maybe. I'll see what kind of response I get here about finishing that up.

Otherwise… you folks will be seeing my R story. Woot. V. Scandalous.

And much love to my wonderful Mrs. Schwartzman. It's only a matter of time before the Brother Schwartz are ours…whoa that didn't sound stalker-esque!

- - -

Yo, it's the aforementioned 'Mrs. Schwartzman' here. Kristin rocks, and so does her story, so I'm updating it so you guys can enjoy the true awesomenosity of it as well. Read, review, love, enjoy, and go eat some peanut butter while you're at it.

- - -

Lilly knew where I was and winked in my direction. Next came a big surprise.

Ella was walking up the aisle in a little pink dress, carrying a basket of flowers. She looked terribly confused, and ran up to Lilly who started holding back her laughter. She would keep Ella quiet during the ceremony.

And then I saw her. Her stepfather started walking her up the aisle, and her father met them half way. She had said she wanted to make sure everyone was part of the wedding, including Mr. Gianni. Everyone turned their backs toward me so I stepped out and watched her as she came up toward me. Her father was looking at all the guests, too busy schmoozing to notice that I was not Evan. Mr. Gianni did though.

Evan and I look very much alike, but those who know us can tell the difference. Mr. G. had no idea what was going on, but went back to looking totally normal after his immediate shock.

I turned my back to the 'audience' before Mia even got to me. In Genovia they don't do the whole official transfer from father to husband. One of her ancestresses insisted on it. I had been given the protocol months ago. I knew what to do. She squeezed my hand and looked up to me.

I glanced down slightly so I could see her in that dress. It was more beautiful than any of the tabloids had guessed. It was very simple. Not too many beads. It was plain white silk with a very long train and buttons that went all the way down. She didn't have a veil because she had the tiara that her ancestors had worn. The last woman to wear it was her Grandmere. I giggled at the thought and she gave me a worried look.

"Before the couple exchanges their formal wedding vows, the groom would like to play a song he has written for his bride," the priest announced.

I walked over to a grand piano with my back toward the crowd. Mia came over and stood next to where I was sitting. I glanced up at her and started playing.

Throughout the passing years

As all the world seems ever changing

We share the smiles and tears

Of life, with love that's so far ranging

And after all is said and done

I'll be the one beside you

I'll be your love and loyal friend

Until the end, beside you

Each flower bends with time

Each leaf descends with every autumn

But you and I will find

Our love won't die or be forgotten

When you and I are grey

When youth has gone and life is dimming

I promise that I'll stay

Beside you, like we were beginning

She started to tear up a little, so I stood up and wiped her cheeks and kissed her softly on her forehead. She mouthed the words thank you to me and we walked hand and hand back to the priest.

"That was such a Full House moment," she whispered.

I laughed and then gave my full attention to the priest. Now was the big moment. People would know my name and that I wasn't exactly Evan.

"In the name of God I, Hymen Michael Moscovitz, take you, Amelia Mignonette Renaldo, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward for better or for worse. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. _This_ is my solemn vow." I heard loud gasps. I glanced to her family.

Her mother was smiling and Mr. G was trying not to laugh. He was staring at Clarisse for her reaction. Which was non existent. She clearly had not been paying attention to the entire ceremony. She was there as a figure head.

The gasps were from the other members of our audience. They must have all thought something had gone terribly wrong. But it hadn't. It had gone terribly RIGHT finally.

She smirked and said the same thing back to me.

"Do you Hymen take Amelia to be your lawfully wedded wife from death do you part from this day forward?"

I could tell people were confused by their collective gasp. "I do."

"Do you Amelia take this Hymen to be your lawfully wedded husband, from death do you part?"

She held back a giggle at taking 'this hymen to be your lawfully wedded husband'. "I do."

"By the power invested in me by the great nation of Genovia, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss your bride," he said with a wink at me.


	30. And it comes to light

Author's Note: I'm in a giving mood. Plus, I want to finish this up soon. The song at the end is by the Beach Boys.

* * *

Our first kiss in about two years. I looked at her with a wide grin.God was she beautiful. Everyone says a bride is gorgeous no matter what...but honestly, next to seeing Ella for the first time this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Shebit her lower lip and gotready for the big kiss...we both knew this would be the last kiss before all hell broke loose so we wanted to make it good. I pulled her close to me and kissed her like I hadn't kissed her in a million years. And she, of course, very kindly returned the favor.

We put off turning around as long as we could by kissing and not letting go of one another. When we finally pulled apart she made a face, "We have to face them at _some_ point…"

I nodded. "Look at Ella."

She turned and looked at our daughter who looked really confused and was starting to cry, but Lilly held her and whispered something into her ear. Then she started giggling. Those two were like sisters.

I saw my parents in the crowd who looked more puzzled than anyone else. I smiled at them and winked. My dad must be jumping for joy that his one and only son is totally hetero.My mom looked satisfied. Like she'd known all along and that this was simply confirmation.

But then I looked at her family. Her grandmother looked…well, pissed would not be able to describe it. She had finally been clued in. Her father seemed amused, which surprised me.

"Are we going to stand here all day?" I asked, "Or are we going to get the hell out of here?"

"We're in a _church_ don't say that word," she scolded with a smile.

We held one another's hands as we made our way down the aisle. My dad gave me a five as I passed him. My mother looked slightly angry. She'd deal though. She was probably just mad that I didn't tell her anything.

But she'd deal. Everyone would have to.

The crowds outside looked really confused. I certainly wasn't the prince they were expecting to emerge. Mia waved gracefully to everyone as we waited for her family to come out to pose for official photographs.

Her grandmother couldn't say much right away. She didn't want everyone to know that _she_ had been fooled. According to protocol she was supposed to be standing to my left in the pictures. I would _PAY_ to see the expression on her face during the first picture. The photographer left for a few minutes to let everyone re-group.

Mia did not let go of my hand. "Surprise," she said with a weak smile to the family.

"Surprise? That is all you have to say?" her grandmother snapped.

"Clarisse, relax," Miss Thermopolis said softly. "Let her ex-"

"This is not going to stand. What happened to _Evan_? I'll tell you this much his fathe-"

"Yes it _will_ stand," Mia argued. "I am of age to choose my own husband. You cannot make me do anything. Evan is on his way to Miami as we speak. He knew about all this."

I saw her father and Mr. G standing off to the side, looking quite amused by the happenings. "I can do what I damn please!" Clarisse snapped.

"If you do anything to ruin this," Mia started with a wide grin (Lord knew there was paparazzi getting some shots of this), "I will step down from my role as princess of Genovia and….well, power will go to..who is it now?The Stratbourgs. Didn't you goto school withLady Stratbourg? And she did something to your hair....what was it? Stuck it in ink or something? What difference does it make? She could be the sovereign ruler.But you wouldn't want that would you?"

Clarisse threw her arms in the air, "This is _not_ the end of this discussion. We will put up a good show at the reception, but after," she started, "I will straighten _this_ out."

Phillippe came up to me and pulled me aside as Mia continued her argument with her grandmother, "Congratulations. You fooled my mother and everyone else. _Hymen_?"

I smiled, "Yeah."

"So that _was_ the two of you that got married a few years ago?"

I nodded nervously.

"We thought it was strange for another Amelia Renaldo to be married but we didn't know Hymen was your name. I mean, we still had you watched, due to my mother's orders. She thought you were a threat to Genovian security."

"Surprise."

"So, you two were married when she graduated?" Mr. G asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Just barely."

The two older men shared a look. "And you…"

"Michael, we're going for our ride to introduce you to the public," Mia said pulling me away. She knew what they were going to ask and wanted to avoid that.

I shrugged to my new father in law's.

* * *

We sat in carriage and waited for a few minutes before the driver came. "I didn't know Ella would be involved," I whispered after we kissed.

"I told Grandmere she was Lilly's niece and that I wanted to include her. She never thought twice about it."

"When are we going to drop _that_ bomb?" I asked.

"I already told my dad," she admitted, caressing my cheek. It was like we couldn't believe the other was right there. That we'd gone through with it. "He's known for awhile, but agreed to keep quiet. He knew I was pregnant and was really upset until I explained everything to him. He was actually really happy. He didn't like Evan for me."

I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face as disembarked and we greeted the people who had lined up along the way back to the palace where our reception would take place. Apparently word has not gotten out yet that I am _not_ Evan.

"You get out first, and then help me out," Mia instructed.

I did so, and reached out my hand to help her get out of the carriage.

"Evan! Amelia!" people were screaming. "KISS!"

We very kindly obliged. I doubt I had ever held her as close or kissed her more passionately as I did right then with everyone watching us. I didn't care that there were millions of eyes on us. All that mattered was her.

We had a receiving line, and greeted a lot of people we didn't know. We had to go up to greet the Queen of England ourselves, which was really surreal. The princes congratulated us and wished us the best of luck, because we needed it.

We ate our meals, and ignored everyone else around us. We were in our own little world. Ella played with the other children that were at the party in a room set aside for the children.

"We pulled it off," she whispered, squeezing my knee. We couldn't keep our hands to ourselves. But we did everything under the table. Public displays of affections were not acceptable for royalty. _Holy shit. I am officially royalty now. Shit, that's weird. _

I fed her a carrot from my plate, "I know. But how will your grandmother react to Ella?"

"She'll freak out that she is so far behind in princess lessons and that her name is not _princessy_ enough, but she'll have to deal with it."

I kissed her and heard the flashbulb of a camera go off. This was definitely not the type of wedding I always imagined myself having. I had wanted a quiet one on a mountaintop. Away from everyone.

"You look gorgeous, if I haven't told you yet," I said as she sipped her champagne.

"You don't look half bad yourself, _Hymen_. I almost burst out laughing when he asked if I took this hymen to be my lawfully wedded husband!"

"I know. I think I might _legally_ change my name now."

She nodded, "Yes, Prince Hymen doesn't sound very good."

I saw the band going to a table to eat, and motioned for theband leader to announce our first dance. It wasn't going to be played by the band. I had made aCD of arecording session with my oldband. It was the song I had themcover for me and Mia.

"What's going on?" Mia asked as I escorted her to the dance floor. The plan had been for us to dance to some stupid classical song that her grandmother picked out.

"I thought this song kind of wasmore us."

_Wouldn't it be nice if we were older  
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long  
And wouldn't it be nice to live together  
In the kind of world where we belong_

You know its gonna make it that much better  
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up  
In the morning when the day is new  
And after having spent the day together  
Hold each other close the whole night through

Happy times together we've been spending  
I wish that every kiss was neverending  
Wouldn't it be nice

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true  
Baby then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do  
We could be married  
And then we'd be happy

Wouldn't it be nice

You know it seems the more we talk about it  
It only makes it worse to live without it  
But lets talk about it  
Wouldn't it be nice

Good night my baby  
Sleep tight my baby

Mia smiled. She loved the Beach Boys, but, "I like your version better," she admitted as we parted lips (yes, we kissed every once and a while through our dance, very middle school-esque)

We had our first dance as a married couple and then heard, "No! Stop!"

I turned and saw Lilly chasing Ella into the room.

Ella ran up to Mia, "MOMMA!"


	31. The End

Author's Note:

This is it my friends. I wanna thank everyone for reading. Including Music-My love from the/r/ boards and all those who just started reading due to the linkagefrom the Rooney boards (thanks Becksie for the post!).

So now that this, my longest story to date (yes, I have a much longer one) is done I am going to post the Christmas one this weekend. Tomorrow is the last day of classes and I have a ten page paper due that I have yet to start. AMazingthat I canpop ten pages out for this in like, an hour and it'll take me all day for this stupid paper. Well, read andenjoy.

Mia looked at me nervously. We were going to tell people, but not yet. I guess a two year old could tell doesn't care for good timing. I mean, yes, I understood this (after all she did once announce that she had pooped in her pants while we were eating dinner in a fancy restaurant with my parents) But Mia looked horror stricken. She hadn't gotten used to the fact that two year olds never thought before they spoke.

Mia and I looked around. I saw my mother make an expression of understanding. She now knew the truth.

"Should we make an announcement?" Mia asked me.

"You are the princess. You know the protocol for this."

She looked at the eyes boring into her now. "Here, take Ella and have a dance with her," she said, handing Ella to me.

She signaled to the bandto return andto play a song suitable for a father and daughter. I saw Mia take her father to the dance floor.

They were talking seriously. I didn't want our wedding to be like this. I wanted everyone to be happy. _No more lies_. If people asked, I'd tell the truth for the first time in years.

After the song Mia pulled me and Ella to a stage. "Ladies and gentleman," she said in her princessy voice. "It is very clear that the man I have married today is _not_ the man you expected me to. But in all fairness, I never said I was actually marrying Evan. I couldn't have married Evan even if I wanted to. I have been married to this man, Hymen Moscovitz, better known as Michael, for the past three years. Since I turned eighteen." Gasps escaped the lips of the guests. Her grandmother started leaving the room, but her father stopped her.

"And when I was nineteen," she started, looking up at me, "I had a baby," she said lifting Ella to her hip. "Named Helen Josephine Moscovitz Grimaldi Renaldo. Better known as _Ella_."

I looked at her grandmother who looked completely disgusted andembarrassed by this whole situation. We had fully succeeded...well,we hadn't meant to disgust her but whatever.

There was a silence that made me want to dissolve into the floor. "And her father has been raising her along with our dear friends from America." Ella started crying at this point because she hates big crowds.

I took her and tried to quiet her down, which made some people laugh and smile. "Mia, I'm going to take her in the back, okay?" I whispered.

She nodded. "I'll take care of everything."

I walkedpast Clarisse who had a look of a stone gargoyle on. "This doens't change things, Moscovitz."

I smiled, "Of course not, your Highness. Mia has been her mother all along. And my wife all along. Things will still be the same. But we will get to live together now."

Isn'tit amazing how fatherhood changes you? I mean, growing up I would have just ignored her because I was too afraid. I hated dealing with confrontations unless I had to. Iusually let things go. But I guess that changed because of Ella. For example, one time at her day care this older boy (he was about six)broke Ella's Elmo dollthat she'dbrought in for show and tell.

The mothersimply laughed andsaid she never should have brought it in in the first place. Then I 

totally went off on her and Ella got a new Elmo doll. But I digress. Back to Clarisse.

"I won't stand for this," Clarisse went on. "Mia is my granddaughter-"

"And my wife. And Ella's mother. You are Ella's great-grandmother."

That seemed to soften her expression a little. "May I?"

She tried to take Ella into her arms but then Ella started screaming bloody murder. Hell, I would too. "Sorry," I apologized. "This is all a bit much for her...too fast."

"I know exactly how she's feeling," Clarisse said taking a gulp of her sidecar, then walking away.

I survived.

I bumped into Miss Thermopolis as I went toward the private quarters. "Michael…"

I felt like I was nineteen again and had just gotten back with Mia. That I wasup for judgement."Hi," I managed.

She smiled, "Can I meet my granddaughter?"

"She's a little scared right now," I explained.

"Here," she said taking Ella, who quieted down once she was with Miss Thermopolis. "I saw you with her and I knew there was something…_this_ isn't why you got married is it?"

I shook my head hard. I hated that everyone was going to think that."No. We got married three years ago in Las Vegas. When Mia went to California with Shameeka and Lilly. I went too and we took a car to Vegas."

She looked impressed. "You really love her huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah. More and more everyday."

Shelooked thoughtful. "Obviously if you went through three years of separation to be with her. Was that her I saw that time in the market?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She felt terrible for not being able to see you… that you couldn't meet your granddaughter….but we couldn't chance anything. Clarisse would have killed us. Her real name is Helen," I explained. I had no idea what else to say to her. I mean, Mia had just explained this to everyone. But what else was I to say?

She looked into the ball room where Mia was talking animatedly with her grandmother and some other women. "She'll get over it. Mia will make her. She's changed a lot lately…in the past few years. She's grown up. She was sad a lot…now I understand why," she said looking at Ella. "But she's so mature and…so different from when she first found out she was a princess. She's really accepted it and learned how to use it to her advantage. The people love her here."

"I hope they like me," I replied. "I know they liked Evan…"

"Yeah, well, I don't know about him…I got a weird vibe from him."

"He's uhm…with that Alex that I was always with."

She raised an eyebrow, "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Never trust a guy that collects Backstreet Boy stuff and wears sunglasses indoors."

I laughed and looked at Mia who was talking to that Elias Downey who was wearing his damn sunglasses inside again.

"I always knew she loved you all along. She was never the same after she left you. Never came back to New York for very long. She was always asking if I had seen you. Not something you would ask if you were happy with your boyfriend."

Mia looked down the hall at us and smiled. Everything was going to be right. Just right.

I took Ella back and stared walking toward the private area again, only to be stopped by my parents this time. "So...you aren't gay?" my father asked reluctantly.

"No Dad. I'm not gay."

"I can't say that I'm not relieved. I would have rathered known about this though," he admitted.

"No one could know. Who knows what Clarisse would have done."

"I am guessing we won't be seeing much of this little girl anymore," my mother asked softly.

"We'll be here, in Genovia mostly," I admitted. "But we'll go back to New York to see you guys-"

"We're staying in California. Or that's our homebase now. We are going to be traveling around the world. Enjoy our retirement."

"YOu'll be sure to frequent Genovia, right? I don't think Ella could handle not seeing you two," I replied, smiling as Ella played peek a boo with my father.

"Always Genovia," my mother replied. "Always."

I tookMia to our suite that night. Miss Thermopolis and Mr. G were going to watch Ella for us, much to Rocky's dismay. But he was happy that she didn't marry '_That dork'_, Evan.

I carried her to our new bedroom, her giggling the entire way. "I'm _really _a bride now!" she exclaimed.

"I think you may be drunk a little bit," I teased.

"With happiness," she replied.

"Cliche," I replied. I loved saying that to her. Her English teacher sophomore year used to write that all over her papers and it drove her nuts.

We were now in our wedding suite, not saying anything. She slipped into the bathroom to change, and I poured some champagne into some glasses and walked onto the balcony. It was a perfectly clear night.

I looked over and saw guests still mingling below. I looked over at the tree by the balcony because something was in there. I saw a man with a camera. How the hell had he gotten there? "We won't be doing anything out here so I don't know what you are doing there," I said, walking toward the tree.

He snapped a photo of me. But I really couldn't care less. I didn't want him there to get a shot of Mia in any scandalous clothes. "Get out of here before I call the guard."

He scampered down the tree, and not a moment too soon because Mia came to me in a long pale blue piece of lingerie. I walked over to her and we started dancing. And no, there was no music.

We forgot about the champagne, and instead fell into bed with one another. My jet leg was catching up with me, but I ignored it. Being with Mia was way more important. And I'll tell you this much, sleeping with her this time was the best because I _knew_ that no one could ruin what we had. If someone had caught us before we'd have been screwed. But now no one could do a damn thing about it.

We fell asleep afterwards. Or rather, she did. I stayed awake and watched her as she nuzzled into my chest. We had a lot to catch up on, but there is plenty of time for that. We were now officially husband and wife. No one could take that away from us.

And I couldn't wait to spend every night like this with her.


	32. Epilogue

Author's Note:

I know this may come as a surprise, but there will be no sequel to Faith. So here is the Epilogue, enjoy it...or at least try to.

* * *

So what happens in 'happily ever after'?

Me and Mia realized that we'd made a huuuge mistake and decided to annul the marriage, much to her grandmother's liking. She wasn't ready to be a full time mom and I wasn't ready to give Ella up to a nanny.

I moved back to New York with Ella and started a business out of my apartment with Alex. Then I re-married Ella's algebra teacher when Ella was fifteen. Ironic, no?

Me and the wife, Ingrid, had six more children. Our oldest was named Holden. Then there was Paolo, and his twin Pablo. And there are our daughtes, Winter and Summer. And our littlest is named Zen.

Then me and the wife brought Ella to see her mother and Mia and I began a torrid love affair again. It was tres hot until my wife found out and left me. So Mia and I got back together again. It was better now because Ella was practically raised anyways. Only, she was pissed that she had to move to Genovia and leave all of her friends and her younger siblings. But hey, this is her mother, right?

Lilly moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts and married her girlfriend LuAnn. They are raising four kids together in a huge place on the Cape.

Alex and Evan broke up. Evan though Alex was way too flamboyant for him and realized that he was in fact straight. He began dating up a storm in America. He realized that he just never was attracted to European women for some reason.

And that's it. Our lives in a nutshell

You dont' seriously think that's our lives in a nutshell, do you? I'd think you would know better by now. I'm so _totally_ kidding with all that stuff.

Mia and I are happily married, five years after our church wedding. We have twins on the way, and a son named Franklin Phillipe. Ella loves living in the palace and her great grandmother dotes on her. She is much more receptive to the princess lessons than her mother ever was.

I spend my days in the palace corresponding to fans of the princess. And I run the royal family website. As well as help run the technology staff. Mia knew I needed some kind of job or I'd go completely bonkers in that place.

Lilly married Boris in a secret ceremony; she never wants me to outdo her. So they married in a Buddhist ceremony (yes, they converted together. Odd for a girl that didn't believe in organized religion…I know, I converted for Mia but that was FOR MIA, not for any particular reason).

Alex and Evan are the ones living in Provincetown, MA. With _five_ kids. Howie, Nick, Alexander James, Kevin and Brian. They've always been a strange couple.

Every once and a while we all meet up. All those involved in helping me and Mia. We all meet up in New York when Mia and I have business there. It's like old times…but with people who never got to see one another before…I guess.

In any case, everyone is happy and healthy and alive. We all fight and tease one another, but that's what friends do. And of course Mia and I argue, but are still thankful that we'd had enough faith to get us through all those years.


End file.
